New Romantics
by NightsLightss
Summary: a collection of one shots based on various AU's from around the internet.
1. Chapter 1

(_my boss is always telling me how perfect his daughter is and he promises she's coming to the next holiday party and don't worry she's heard all about me too and ALSO there's this girl i slept with once a couple of months ago and sometimes she still sends me nudes when i ask her to at 3 in the morning cause seriously girl's got a bangin' bod' AU_)

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><p><strong>I'm bored and horny, help me out? -<strong>

Alex trailed her fingers across her skin, lightly teasing herself, as she waited for the young blonde's reply. She didn't figure she'd have to wait too long, Piper was usually pretty timely with her 3 AM Not-Quite-A-Booty-Call-But-Help-Get-Me-Off-Right-Now responses.

.

They'd technically only slept together once, after stumbling upon each other at a party several months prior and then spending the next 8 hours getting lost in one another. But somewhere between the party, the sex, and the lazy morning after spent rolling around Alex's apartment they'd realized they kind of enjoyed each other's company. Piper had been entering her number into the older woman's phone when she noticed the snapchat app and took the liberty of adding herself in there too.

Their following arrangement began on an almost accidental impulse, never really planned or intended, but once it began neither really saw a point in stopping it.

Alex had just gotten in from a rather long and grueling business trip, collapsing heavily onto her bed before pulling out her phone and shooting off a quick message to the blonde.

**you wouldn't happen to be in town tonight would you? -**

She knew the blonde wouldn't be before she even sent the message, of course. She'd hardly been expecting a reply at all, was mostly just letting the girl know she was back in town. Their conversations were always a bit limited when Alex was out of the country.

**- sadly I am not.**

**- is someone feeling lonely?**

She'd found herself chuckling at the playful teasing.

**yes. it has been a LONG week. -**

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she buried her face in her pillows, too tired to move from the inviting warmth seeping into her, completely prepared to fall asleep right where she was, still fully dressed.

**- can't find anyone to keep your bed warm? :(**

She narrowed her eyes playfully at the younger woman's cheeky goading, slowly tapping out a reply.

**ugh. too much work. so tired. can't… move… -**

She'd been flirting with the edges of sleep when her phone chimed again.

**SNAPCHAT FROM PIPER**

Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, it had been safe to say Alex Vause's sleep-hazed mind was in no way prepared for the image that greeted her upon opening the app.

She had't complained though, and thus began their strange ritual. Anytime Alex felt the need for release in the early hours of the far off morning Piper would gladly provide a snap or two to her imploring texts. Whenever Alex got in from a tiring business trip and couldn't muster up the energy to wander out in search of live prey Piper would readily help with an easy release.

.

Her thumb was absently scrolling through her emails when the phone vibrated with a soft *ding!*

**SNAPCHAT FROM PIPER**

A coy grin slid across her face as her thumb hovered over the notification for a second before pressing down and bringing up the app. Holding her finger over the little red box, Alex could barely suppress the soft moan that slipped from her lips at the image that blinked onto her screen.

Skin. Lots of skin. Black bra, pink trim, smooth stomach, sharp hips. The slightest hint of a matching pair of panties stretching low across those hips as they dipped deliciously out of the frame. She was lying in a white bed, the lights were low, but not dark. Bold white letters stood out loudly across the middle of the image.

**HOW'S THIS?**

Her eyes drank in the picture before her as the final seconds ran out and it slipped from her screen. Heaving a quiet sigh, she thumbed her text messages back open.

**mmm… almost. lose the bra and panties. -**

Her touches became a little firmer as she waited for the blonde's response, immediately swiping the app open when her phone chimed again in her hand.

**BETTER?**

She paid the white lettering the barest flick of attention as her eyes hungrily drank in the newest image. The pink and black bra now discarded somewhere out of frame, a tantalizing soft dip of newly exposed skin disappearing off the angular hips at the edge of the image.

Alex bit her lip as she saved the image to her phone, the lazily waning timer running slowly out. Her thumbs tapped out one more message to the blonde before preparing to focus on the original task at hand.

**much. -**

She'd barely begun to lose herself in the sensation when another message from the blonde came through.

**- delete that when you're finished.**

**- you won't need it.**

Intrigued by the blonde's uncharacteristic order she once again paused in her ministrations to study the small grey bubbles.

**okay? -**

Her fingers absently traced illegible designs across her stomach, occasionally dipping across her hips, as she waited for the younger woman to elaborate.

**- I'm coming home for Christmas in a few days.**

She couldn't stop the grin that broke across her face at the blonde's announcement. (She had no problem allowing it to become a smirk though, at the following text message.)

**- and I'm collecting payment for all these little late night sessions I've helped you with.**

Biting back another grin, she quickly tapped out a response before leaving the blonde to what was left of her night.

**mmm. Merry Christmas to me… -**

Her phone buzzed with one final notification, and she opened snapchat to a picture of the still topless blonde (this time staring wantonly into the camera, a single finger poking delicately between full lips and flashing teeth, "**ALL I WANT FOR XMAS IS YOU**" painted across her toned stomach in that blocky white lettering she was so fond of slapping across all her snaps), Alex suddenly found herself very eagerly awaiting the upcoming holiday.

.

Alex moaned softly as her forehead fell to her desk with a soft thunk. One more hour and she could sneak away for the night without raising too much suspicion. She was just about finished with everything she needed to have done for the next few days and was looking forward to a long relaxing weekend to herself (and maybe a certain hot young blonde who was due to arrive in town sometime within the next few days).

She was contemplating shutting her computer down and slipping out a bit earlier when a quick knock echoed from her door frame.

"Alex!" Her boss greeted pleasantly as he stepped into her office. "I'm glad I caught you."

She smiled sheepishly at him. He wasn't unfamiliar with her early weekend habits, but she'd always been in his favor when it came to matters of work, so he'd knowingly look the other way when she slipped out an hour or two early every once in awhile. "Hey Bill, what's up?"

"I know you're not a fan of the whole interoffice mingling thing, but I was hoping I could convince you to at least stop by tonight." He chuckled softly at her pained expression and she couldn't stop her own soft grin from unfurling. "My daughter is stopping by and I'd love for you to meet her. I think you two would really hit it off. She could learn a lot from you."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Alex shook her head in quiet amusement. "Introducing your real daughter to your pseudo-adopted work daughter, hm?"

A soft chuckle slipped from his lips as he made to depart. "Think about it."

She sighed softly as he made his retreat, the lingering traces of a smile still touching her lips. "I'll see what I can do."

.

The party was in full swing when Alex finally made an appearance (or as full swing as a holiday office party could get). Her eyes scanned the room lazily as she mentally calculated how long she should hang around before making a graceful but adequately timed exit. A heavy sigh slipped from her lungs as she resigned herself to her temporary fate, ambling aimlessly in the general direction of the refreshments table.

She'd been contemplating slipping out after fifteen minutes of disjointed small talk and no sign of her boss when her gaze locked on a familiar pair of cerulean eyes. A disbelieving chuckle slipped through her lips as the blonde excused herself from the small group of people she'd been quietly conversing with and began to make her way over.

"What're _you_ doin' here?" She murmured teasingly when the younger girl was finally within earshot.

"Oh, I heard about this great holiday party and absolutely _had_ to come." She drawled in return, unable to stop the grin blooming across her face. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I work here." Alex replied bluntly, regarding the blonde with a soft fondness.

A confused hesitation fell across the blonde's face. But as she opened her mouth to reply another voice cut jovially through the noise of the party.

"Ah! Alex I see you've met my daughter, Piper."

Powerless to stop the sudden widening of her eyes, the brunette swung her gaze from her approaching boss back to the young woman standing before her. _Oh fuck_. The charming, innocent, full of potential, in need of a good talk with a decent role model such as herself, daughter of her boss was none other than the girl she'd been sharing increasingly explicit snapchats with for the past several months. Again, _fuck_.

"Ah, so _you're_ Alex." Piper crooned smoothly. "My father's told me quite a bit about you."

Alex continued to stare dumbly for a moment, suddenly weary of the mischievous shine glinting playfully in the younger woman's eyes.

"Yes. And you're... Piper." She extended her hand, finally finding her voice. "I've heard good things."

Piper clasped her hand warmly, a sly grin stretching across her mouth revealing an impressive set of white teeth (_she's going to eat me alive_, Alex found herself vaguely musing as they shook hands). "I'm sure you have."

"Piper here is in her fourth year at Smith and yet she still can't quite seem to decide where she'd like to go with her life once the rigorous journey of college comes to an end. I keep telling her this would be a good place to start. Figure out who she is, where she wants to go, what kind of work she wants to do. Learn the tools of her old man's trade." Piper's eyes never left Alex's as her father prattled on warmly. "But, of course, it always sounds more appealing coming from someone _other_ than your overbearing father."

"Ah." Alex's gaze flicked from Bill to his daughter. "That's where I come in."

"That's where you come in."

"I have to warn you, I don't have a whole lot of experience in the _good influence_ realm. I've always been more of a _DO NOT_ kinda example." Piper's eyes lit in subtle glee at Alex's murmured confession and Alex found herself wondering what the hell had prompted her to say that to her boss (Again. Father of the woman she's seen naked on _more than one_ occasion.) in the first place.

"Well, for all the grief I give you you've truthfully been one of the best employees I've had the honor of working with."

Alex tore her gaze from the alluring blonde before her in muted surprise. "I... thank you. Sir."

"It's Christmas, Vause." He murmured, reading the quiet questioning in her eyes. "And I could stand to tell you what an impact you make around here every once in awhile. Consider it part of your holiday bonus." He concluded with a wink, squeezing Piper's shoulder as he passed behind her. "Now, I'll leave you two to it. Get to know each other, you've got a lot in common. I've got to make the rounds, if you'll excuse me."

Piper murmured a quiet goodbye before turning back to the brunette before her, whose eyes were still trailing after the retreating figure of her father. "He thinks quite highly of you." She murmured, taking a slight step closer to the older woman.

Alex's attention fell from the retreating figure of her boss to the woman gazing curiously up at her. "I think he's had a little too much to drink." She teased with a chuckle, finally allowing herself to really get lost in the wondrous gaze of the blonde.

"No," she murmured, trailing a hand down Alex's jacket, absently straightening out the collar. "He doesn't say that sort of thing about just anyone. And he _has_ mentioned you before. Several times, in fact. I just never thought..."

"Yeah." Alex breathed out, with a small laugh. "Small world, huh?"

Piper eyed her quietly for a moment, hands still lightly grasping her coat. "Let's get out of here. I still intend to collect on all those pictures I've sent you the past several months."

Powerless to stop the giddy smirk stretching across her face, Alex leaned towards the younger woman, lowering her voice teasingly. "Won't your father be a bit suspicious when you suddenly disappear for the rest of the night? Especially after leaving you with _me_."

Piper caught her bottom lip between her teeth, barely suppressing a grin. "I already told him I'd probably be spending the night out with a friend."

"Did you now?" Alex's eyebrows jumped teasingly.

"Mmhm." Piper hummed, pulling gently at the lapels of Alex's jacket. "I just neglected to tell him it probably wasn't the friend he was thinking of."

Alex tsked softly, a barely suppressed grin tugging at her lips. "I can see why he wanted me to talk some maturity into you."

"Trust me, maturity isn't the issue." Piper murmured, slowly pulling the taller woman towards her until her mouth was paralleled with her ear.

"No?"

"No. In fact, why don't you take me back to your place and I'll show just how _mature_ I am."

"Mmm. Well, what are we waiting for?"

.

It was nearing three in the morning as they lay quiet and spent in Alex's bed. Alex's fingers trailed gently through Piper's hair, her blonde head resting comfortably across her chest. Their silence was comfortable, both lost in thought, as Alex's eyes trailed aimlessly across her ceiling.

"So I'm thinking maybe I _will_ take my dad up on his offer to join the company for a bit after college." Piper murmured softly, rolling over to trace her fingers absently across Alex's collar bones, her chin coming to rest lightly on the other woman's chest.

"_Really_." Alex drawled playfully, repositioning her head to meet the blonde's gaze.

"Mmhm." Piper hummed, sapphire eyes twinkling mischievously.

"And what exactly made you change your mind, might I ask?"

"Nothing in particular." Piper mused, all false innocence and muted grins. "You just made some _very_ convincing arguments tonight."

Alex laughed warmly, eyes shining with mirth. "Well I'm sure your father will be happy to hear that."

Piper's face scrunched adorably before sliding into another grin. "I don't think we really need to tell him that his ploy worked." She murmured, leaning up to drop a kiss on the brunette's lips. "In fact I think it'd be best if we convinced him you had nothing to do with the decision _at all_."

"Is that so?" Alex whispered against her lips.

"Mmhm." Piper hummed. "It'll just make it all seem a little less... _planned_ when I start dating his favorite employee."

Alex couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up as the blonde chased her final words on the matter with a deeper kiss to her lips, their teeth clashing gently as they both dissolved into a quiet fit of giggles and soft touches, content in the hazy hours of the early morning and each other's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

_(accidentally swapped phones with someone at a party and don't realize until their mom calls in the morning and you spend like three hours talking to this hilarious woman about life and when you go to her house to return her kid's phone wow the kid is the really good kisser from the party last night au)_

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><p>The phone is ringing. The phone is ringing and it's not her ringtone. It's 7 AM, the phone is ringing, and it's not her ringtone. Only one of these things registered in Piper's sleep-clogged mind as she rolled over to answer the vibrating annoyance.<p>

"Hello?" She croaked, opening a bleary eye to study the angry red numbers of her alarm clock. She'd barely gotten in two hours ago.

"Al?" A way too chipper voice cracked down the line at her. "Jeez, yah sound like death warmed over. What time did you get in last night?"

"Five..." Piper mumbles out before she can stop herself.

"Hm. I been tryin' to ring yah all night. Finally decided to just try calling _early_ for a change, figured maybe then I'd manage to get ahold'a yah, and look at that I was right!"

"Mmm..." Piper murmured in understanding as her sleep clogged mind slowly began to catch up with the conversation. "Who is this?"

The talkative woman on the other line paused, suddenly seeming to realize it wasn't in fact "Al" she was talking to. "This is Alex's mother. Who's this?"

"Piper."

She waited a moment for the girl to continue, but when it appeared Piper wasn't going to elaborate she pressed on. "What're you doin' answerin' Al's phone, Piper?"

"I don't know." The woman, Alex's mother, chuckled softly at Piper's tired confusion.

"Well, is Al _around_?" She asked gently. Piper lifted her head, blearily peering around her empty bedroom.

"No, I..." She faltered, momentarily pulling the phone away from her ear to study it. "I think I must have... accidentally picked this phone up at the party last night?"

The woman chuckled again as Piper swore softly. "Ugh, I'm sorry. I got... _really_ drunk last night. I must have grabbed Alex's phone thinking it was mine. Um... you could maybe try calling mine to get in touch? We must have swapped."

"Yeah, I could try that. Find out where Al is." The woman murmurs. "I'll call yah back in a second."

Piper's arm drops tiredly back to the bed a soft thud. No point in trying for sleep again now, she thinks, rubbing her eyes.

Her thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the shrill cry of Katy Perry and she instinctively reaches her hand out to answer her phone.

"Hellooo... _oh_." She trails off.

"Well now, this is a predicament." Alex's mother greets with a blooming smirk evident in her voice.

"Oh goooood, I can't believe I did this." Piper groaned. "I've never gotten this drunk before, it was just a bad night after a bad week, and I got in a fight with my best friend, and I sort of lost count of how many drinks I had thrown back, and everything just sort of started running together, and now I've stolen somebody's phone!"

Alex's mom chuckled from the other end of the phone, as Piper rambled on. "Piper, Piper, Piper! Calm down sweetie. It's fine. It's a simple mistake, no harm, easily fixable. God knows we've all had our share of those nights. Just breathe, kid. Breathe."

A heavy sigh exploded from Piper's lungs as she willed herself to calm. "I'm sorry. I just. It's been a long week. I can drop the phone off somewhere if you need me to. Is there a certain address you need me to go to?"

"Honey you don't sound like you're in any condition to be goin' anywhere anytime soon." The woman soothed. "Yah only got in, what, two hours ago you said? We'll get Al's phone back, just take some time to get yourself sorted first."

Another sigh slipped through the girl's lips, this time slower as she allowed the older woman's words to ease her gradually into a sense of calm.

"You strike me as someone who doesn't let loose too often, it must really have been a hell of a week for yah."

"Yeah." Piper murmured softly. "My friend, Polly, dropped the news that she's currently sleeping with her professor on me last night. Right before informing me that the guy she's been trying to set up me up with for the past month would be at the party and lecturing me on how good he'd be for me and how I need to just give him a chance."

"Mm. Been _there_." The woman murmured, understandingly.

"Right? And normally it wouldn't be too much, except my mother had called earlier to yet again lecture me on my life choices, because nothing I ever do can be good enough for her since Danny the Doctor moved out."

"Older brother?" She asked sympathetically.

"Yeah. The Golden Child. I mean I love Danny, I do, but it's like he ran as fast as he could, as soon as he could and now my parents attention has shifted to me. Which wouldn't be so bad, I guess, but it's like no matter what I do they're disappointed. Nothing I do is ever enough. I graduated high school with honors, but wasn't the valedictorian. I'm going to college, but didn't pick the right major. Congratulations Piper, but you could have done better."

"Ah. _Those_ kinda parents." The woman murmured. "Overbearingly encouraging to the point of perpetual disappointment."

"Yeah." Piper sighed, tiredly. "I'm sorry for dumping all my shit onto you. I just... once I start I can't really... stop."

The woman tsked softly. "Nonsense. Yah sound like yah need a sympathetic ear right now and trust me, honey, when I say we've all been there. I probably could have avoided my share of past mistakes if I'd had someone to unload my troubles onto after a night of heavy drinking. Sometimes all we need to do is let it out. Cause let me tell yah, holdin' it in? Helps _no one_. And you sound like someone who spends a lot of time holdin' things in." She prods with the gentle tell of a smile in her voice.

"Yeah." Piper exhales with a small laugh. "It's kind of how I was raised."

"Ah. Well that certainly explains a lot." She teases gently.

Piper loses track of how long they spend talking, as she unloads the stress of her life onto the sympathetic woman. Laughing as the older woman shares her own stories of drunken nights, bad decisions, and the false sense of teenage invincibility.

"Alex is lucky to have you." Piper murmurs on the fading tail of a laugh after a particularly hilarious story.

"Yeah, well. I got my share of faults too." She admits with a sigh. Piper stays silent as she draws a heavy breath. "Lemme tell yah something, Piper. I have only known you for the better part of this morning and already I can tell you are an incredible kid. Yah got a good head on your shoulders, your hearts seems to be in the right place, yah sound like you're twice as much as most of the girls Alex has dragged home. And your parents would be crazy to not see that. Though something tells me they _do_. They might not be the best at expressing it, but it sounds like they just want what's best for yah. They want yah to have every opportunity you possibly can, because, trust me, the alternative's a real drag." She chuckled softly and Piper found herself joining. "They could probably stand to be a little more supportive, but don't you for a second think you're not good enough for anyone. The only person you gotta be good enough for at the end of the day is YOU. Alright, kid?"

"Yeah," Piper breathed, wiping gently at her eyes, which had slightly started to water during the older woman's speech. "Thank you, really. For... everything. I- oh god, y'know, I never even asked you your name!"

A genuine laugh echoed down the phone to Piper's ear and she found herself grinning, _really grinning_, for the first time in at least 24 hours. "It's Diane, sweetie. Diane Vause. Now. Let's see about gettin' you Alex's address so you can get that phone back, huh?"

.

It was late afternoon when Piper finally found her way to the address she'd written across an old receipt she'd scooped off her floor. She drew a deep breath as she waited for whoever was behind the door to respond to her knocking.

Her eyes were scanning the neighborhood behind her idly when the door opened.

"Hey, I'm-" She turned to face the door, hesitating at the sight of the person behind it. "Oh. I'm... sorry, I must... I'm looking for an Alex?"

The woman before her tilted her head, darting a look to the side before meeting Piper's eyes once more. "You... found her?" She answered haltingly.

"Oh. I... OH! I'm sorry, I just... I spoke to your mother earlier... on the phone... I'd just assumed you were, a... never mind!" A faint smirk pulled at the older's woman lips as Piper rambled helplessly. "I... you... were at the, uh... party, last night I... I took your phone." She finished lamely.

Alex's smirk grew as she reached out to grasp the object helplessly being offered up between them. Their fingers brushed for a moment before Piper suddenly pulled her hand back.

"Wait, I... I remember you..." The smirk slowly fell from Alex's face as she watched the blonde piece together hazy memories. "You... I didn't take your phone, you gave me your phone!" She exclaimed indignantly.

Alex watched her silently, somewhat thrown by this new turn of emotion.

"We made out on the couch for like an hour and then you told me to take your phone when I had to leave. I have spent the entire day _berating_ myself for getting SO DRUNK that I picked up _two_ cell phones when all along you had just up and _given it to me_!" The smirk tugged gently at the corners of Alex's mouth once more as she listened to the blonde rant.

"To be fair, we did a little more than make out." She couldn't resist commenting, jarring the blonde into momentary silence.

She studied the brunette before her in quiet interest for a moment. "Why did you give me your phone?"

Alex's gaze shifted awkwardly from the blonde before her, sweeping sheepishly around the street as she fought a growing grin. "I, uh... I gave you my phone so you'd have my number." She couldn't quite stop the chuckle that bubbled up from her lips. "It made sense at the time."

Piper's eyes lit with quiet wonder as she watched the older woman. "No, I... oh my god, I totally remember that now... you were very insistent." She trailed off with a laugh, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth.

"_Yeah_." Alex mumbled, smirking.

They studied each other for a moment, quietly suppressing giddy grins.

"Well..." Piper murmured after a moment, "you _did_ manage to end an otherwise shitty week on a rather positive note... if I remember correctly."

Alex laughed quietly and Piper vaguely noted she could hear hints of her mother's raspy chuckle in it. "Glad I could help."

"I never did get your number." She murmured softly as they continued to study one another, before dragging her eyes away from Alex's to sweep them across the building. "Though I _did_ get your address. I guess that counts for something."

"Here." Alex murmured, reaching her hand out expectantly. Piper pulled her own phone out and placed it in her upturned palm. Alex tapped away silently for a moment. "Now you've got my _number_ too." The forgotten phone in Piper's other hand vibrated suddenly. "And I've got yours."

She glanced at Alex's phone in her hand, swiping open the text from a familiar "unknown" number, and reading it quietly.

She typed her name into the "Add Contact" box before handing the phone back to Alex and taking her own.

"Thank you... Alex Vause."

"Thank _you_, Piper Chapman." Alex responded, eyes flicking down to read the updated contact list.

It was much later that night when another text message from Piper Chapman came through. Popping up quietly underneath the original message Alex sent out earlier (_"have dinner with me sometime"_), a short simple "okay."

Alex found herself grinning as she read the message. She'd have to remember to call her mother in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

_(we're best friends and we take each others virginity's AU) **[M RATING]**_

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><p>They were sitting in Piper's bedroom the day they got the idea. It was a Thursday, the one blissful day when all the Chapman's schedules lined up in such a way that Piper had the house to herself until six, when Cal would finally troop in from after school tutoring.<p>

Thursdays were Alex's favorite day.

She was laying haphazardly across Piper's bed, where she'd flung herself immediately upon entering the room. The blonde sat at the desk across the room with her back turned to her. It was routine. Piper would immediately begin her homework (_I can't really feel relaxed until it's no longer looming over my head, Al_), Alex would put hers off until the last possible minute (_I can't start it until I've had the chance to really unwind, Pipes_), and the night would pass in slow quiet bliss.

Piper apparently had different plans tonight.

"Larry thinks we should go all the way." Her voice suddenly breaks their comfortable silence and Alex tears her gaze from the paint strokes of Piper's ceiling to the Blonde's turned back.

"What?"

Her shoulders shrug with a nonchalance that only Alex could tell was practiced. She allows herself to slowly sink back against the pillows at the younger girl's silence, her mind turning this new piece of information over. "Well… are you?"

"I dunno." She murmurs, still unconvincingly detached, "Polly says she hasn't done it yet, but she thinks Pete's the one."

"What does that mean? _The one_?"

"I dunno. Someone… special." She scowls at the paper in front of her at the brunette's mocking scoff. "_What_?"

"Nothing. It's just weird that you think _Barry's_ 'The One'. I mean you've only gone on what, two dates?"

"We've gone on more than two dates, Alex, and Larry seems… nice." She falters, her falsely casual tone becoming less and less convincing as the conversation wears on. "I mean… he seems like he'd be… gentle. Caring."

"So you're going to sleep with him because he's _nice_. Jeez, Piper, those are some impressive standards you've got."

"I didn't say I was going to! I said maybe, as far as first times go, he wouldn't be the worst!" She didn't know when they'd gone from having a casual conversation to a budding argument. Alex didn't give her time to dwell on it.

"Whatever. Do whatever you want, Piper, I just think there are better choices than Barry the Boy Wonder."

"Well I _know_ **Larry** well enough to know he'd at least be considerate and attentive. Which is more than I can say for most of the other guys at school." Her tone softened as she returned to writing her temporarily neglected paper. "I just want it to be… _nice_. Y'know? I don't want it to be an uncomfortable mistake that turns me off the whole idea, just… special."

"It's just sex. There's nothing 'special' about it. You have it and that's that."

"Well, have _you_ done it?" She turned towards Alex, who found herself fumbling uncharacteristically for an answer before she had the chance to properly examine the new, strangely defensive tone that had seeped into the Blonde's words.

"I mean… no… I've fooled around and stuff, but never…" Green irises danced around the room before returning to Piper's blue ones. She narrowed them at the brunette's uncharacteristic hesitance.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't slightly taken aback at Alex's admission. She thought for sure the brunette had _gone the distance_ at this point, more than once, even, judging by the rumors that were slowly starting to creep up about her around the school. Whispers of Alex Vause's supposed conquests were a large part of the reason why Larry's timid proposal had stuck so insistently with her. Something about the thought of Alex growing up without her had struck a muted sort of panic within Piper. She'd always felt the pulling need to almost sort of _keep up with_ the older girl. Not sure if it was due to the year and a half Alex had on her age-wise, or the fact that the brunette always seemed to be leagues ahead of the rest of their peers as far as worldly presence went, Piper tried never to dwell on the churning fear that stirred heavily in her stomach.

"Oh." She murmured softly, eyes dropping to slide across her carpet before returning to the brunette propped upon her elbows atop her bed. She turned back to her desk, shutting the once again forgotten notebook in front of her. Alex sighed heavily from the bed behind her.

Rising from her chair, Piper padded the short distance across the room to the bed, slowly lowering herself down across from the brunette. They lay on their sides, studying each other.

"Maybe I'll wait to take the next step with Larry then." Piper finally murmured, gaze flitting gently around Alex's face. "You're right. It should be with someone I _want_ to do it with. Someone I trust. Not just someone who's _nice_."

"Someone you trust, huh?" Alex murmured with a slight chuckle, "Good luck with _that_."

"What?" Piper asked, a indignant sort of teasing to her voice.

"Nothing, it's just…" Alex's expression grew serious as the she regarded the blonde before her, "you might end up waiting a long time if you're gonna wait for _that_."

"Hey!" Piper shoved her shoulder lightly as Alex's face broke into that self satisfied grin she presented whenever amused by her own humor. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You are like the most untrusting person I know, Piper! You barely trust anyone!"

They grinned at each other through their fading giggles, eyes locking in quiet amusement. A slow seriousness stole across Piper's face as she studied the brunette's dying grin. Alex remained silent, allowing whatever thought currently rolling through the blonde's mind to work it's way through her.

"I trust _you_." She finally murmured softly.

The last lingering edges of amusement faded from her face as Alex grew still, studying the blonde before her.

"Pipes…"

Suddenly uncomfortable, Piper made to sit up, hastily murmuring out an stuttered, jumbled apology. She didn't get very far, however, before she felt Alex's hand close around her arm, gently pulling her back to the bed before she could beat her hasty retreat.

"Hey," Her voice is soft as the blonde sinks back into the mattress, refusing to meet her eye, "_Pipes_."

Blue eyes refuse to move from their inspection of the bed sheets. Alex slowly lets her fingers slide from their grip around the blonde's arm to skate gently across her cheek. Tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear she waits for the sapphire gaze to climb back up to hers.

"Pipes, trust me, I…" She falters, slowly trying to grasp the words she wants to use, "there's nothing I would love more…"

"But?" And Piper's voice is so soft when she speaks, so small and quiet and broken that it's all Alex can do to not take her right then and there.

She studies the younger girl as the silence stretches between them, _really _studies her. It's not like she'd never entertained the idea of her and Piper. Late nights in bed, just before the creeping haze of dawn begins to crawl across the dark sky, her thoughts would sometimes wander to the blonde. And maybe that's why she falters.

Piper's blue eyes shine softly up at hers. Bright blue. _Impossibly_ bright. She'd never been able to resist when the younger girl turned that shining gaze on her. Alex Vause prided herself on being a woman of few weakness, but Piper Chapman had always been one of them. And when those impossibly bright eyes gazed up at her her with such emotion Alex Vause was powerless to resist giving her the world.

"I just…" Her eyes flicked between Piper's helplessly, "are you sure?"

And now it was Piper's turn to pause in the gathering silence. Losing herself in the depths of Alex's green irises before her. She'd known Alex her entire life, there were no memories that did not in some way involve Alex. There was no one in the world she _trusted_ more than Alex. There was no one in the world she _wanted _more than Alex.

It had always been Alex. Piper had spent the majority of her life _chasing_ Alex. Desperately trying to keep pace with the older girl, desperately trying to hold on. She knew she'd never be _enough_ for Alex. And that's why she falters. The sudden vulnerability in the older girl's eyes is all the encouragement Piper needs to know she's enough.

"_Yes_." She whispers, Alex's fingers skate lightly (_so_ lightly, _infuriatingly_ lightly) across her cheek, "_I want it to be you_. _I want it to do this **together**_."

And it's all the further convincing Alex needs.

They study each other for one final moment, as if memorizing everything they'll no longer be once they take this step. When their lips meet softly it's better than anything Alex had imagined in the soft cover of darkness. As their mouths dance against one another it's more than Piper ever wished for in the consuming haze of self doubt. One of them moans softly. Hands reach to cup each other's cheeks, slide across each other's jaws, caress each other's faces. Alex shifts her weight, leaning over the blonde before her. Her thigh falls between Piper's and she arches at the contact.

Their mouths break apart and their foreheads knock together gently as they gasp for air against each other's open mouths. Alex's hand makes it's way down Piper's body, fingertips skimming softly across her stomach, inching further and further under the hem of her t-shirt as her mouth moves to caress it's way down her neck. Piper gasps softly when Alex's fingers prod at the underside of her bra, arching gently into the explorative touch.

She pauses a moment, resting her forehead against Piper's cheekbone, her teeth light scraping against the younger girl's jaw as she draws her breath, before pushing her fingers under the soft material to rest gently across the swell of Piper's breast. Her thumb sways back and forth, slowly coaxing the nipple to attention, before gently squeezing at it.

The noises Piper makes are soft and needy and Alex has heard other girls make them before but never have they sounded quite so enticing as when_Piper_ makes them. She keeps their foreheads close as she watches the emotions dance across the blonde's face. Her light blue eyes had fallen closed as she temporarily lost herself in the new sensation of Alex's hands on her chest.

She teases a bit longer before pressing a quick kiss to her parted lips and pulling the shirt and bra up over her head, leaving Piper excitingly bare to her in a way she'd never been before. Her eyes had come open during the undressing and the clouded look of want and need (and something else Alex couldn't quite put her finger on just yet) that she fixed on Alex was enough to make her falter for a moment.

Alex pulled gently at her nipple, twisting it softly between her fingers as she locked eyes with the blonde. "Is this good?"

"Yes." Piper breathed out, voice barely a whisper. "_Yes_."

She slid a hand up her chest and over Alex's forearm, fingers locking gently at the bend of her elbow, squeezing lightly in anticipation as Alex leaned down once more to capture her lips in a heated kiss. Piper's hand slid up Alex's bicep, over her shoulder, down her sides to her hips, where her fingers tangled gently in the hem of her shirt.

"Now you." She murmured, tugging gently at the shirt. "_Together_."

Alex ducked her head and they swiftly pulled the shirt off her, Piper's fingers immediately moving to tug at the straps of her bra as the brunette's reached around behind her to unhook it. It fell away quickly and Piper wasted no time tossing it off the edge of the bed before returning her hands to the newly revealed skin before her. Alex sat up slightly, leaning back on her heels as Piper's hands pushed their way up her stomach to clasp her breasts. She felt her heartbeat quicken as the younger girl's palms brushed lightly against her nipples, hands squeezing the soft flesh of her chest gently. She couldn't stop the breathless moan that escaped her lips in the slightest huff as the blonde's hands continued to learn her.

Their hips ground together as Alex arched her back and Piper gasped again at the new sensation. Taking advantage of the blonde's temporary distraction, Alex leaned forward to draw one of her taut nipples into her mouth, sucking gently, as her thumb and forefinger returned to tug at the other. Piper's hands slid around her sides and down her back as Alex leaned over her once more, coming to rest at the waistline of her jeans, fingers lightly dipping below the hem every time Alex flexed her back in the right way, just barely grazing the top of her ass.

Pulling her mouth from Piper's chest, Alex began to move her way up over her collar bones, across her neck, and under her jaw before pausing to suck gently at the skin below her ear. Their chests brushed against each other and the both released gentle sighs at the tender sensation. One of Piper's hands moved to tangle in the hair at the back of Alex's head, pulling her mouth harder against her neck. Alex complied with her silent request, mouth moving rougher against her pulsing skin, teeth grazing lightly at the slowly blooming bruise.

"More." Piper whispered, breathless, fingers sliding deeper into Alex's jeans. She pulled herself from the younger girl's neck, hands trailing slowly down her legs to rest atop her thighs as she leaned back once more. Piper's hands slid around her waist, gripping lightly at the front of her dark jeans, just above her pockets. They studied each other for a moment, as if silently confirming the next step.

Alex studied the girl before her. Golden hair fanned out around her on the pillows, a messy sort of halo, sapphire eyes shining up at her, an endless well of _trust_ (it's enough to take Alex's breath away). Her eyes trace over the body underneath her, The slowly darkening bruise she's left just under Piper's right ear, Piper's slightly heaving chest, her delicate pink nipples straining for attention, as if reaching out for Alex. Her gaze trailed down Piper's stomach, to where her own hand rested just below her naval, thumb tenderly brushing the hem of the younger girl's jeans.

"_Al_." She pressed gently at the older girl's hesitation. Her gaze returned to that of the blonde at her soft prompting.

Piper's hand rose to trace across Alex's jaw and her eyes fell closed against the tender caress. Her fingers came to rest under her chin and Alex allowed them be her anchor as she leaned into the younger girl's lips once more. They kissed slowly as Alex's hands moved to unbutton Piper's jeans, breaking apart only to rest their foreheads against one another as Alex slid the zipper down and began to tug them from Piper's hips.

They held each other's gaze as they slid the garment the rest of the way down Piper's body, Alex tossing them carelessly over the end of the bed behind her. Her gaze raked over Piper's waiting body once more and she leaned to place a kiss at the bend of her knee, resting her cheek against it gently as she met the blonde's eyes once more. Her hand trailed lazily up and down Piper's thigh as they watched each other, before placing another kiss against her knee and stretching herself along the younger girl's body, hips snug between Piper's thighs.

Piper's hands reached for the button of Alex's jeans and their noses brushed gently as they worked to slide them down and off Alex's legs. Alex's mouth sought Piper's once more as she kicked her jeans to the floor to land in a heap atop Piper's. Their hips pushed rhythmically against each other as the kiss deepened. Alex's fingers danced lightly around the hem of Piper's underwear, slipping below in the barest of touches every time Piper's hips pulsed in just the right way.

"Alex." She breathed out around their fumbling lips and clashing teeth. "I want you. I want all of you."

"You've got me, kid. You've got me."

Piper's hips rose once more, pausing above the mattress. Alex took advantage of their stilled suspension, pulling the last barrier of clothing from Piper's heated body, before quickly ridding herself of her own. They lay still for a moment, allowing themselves to become familiar with the new sensation of uninhibited skin on skin, the feeling of experiencing each other _completely_ in a way no other person yet had.

A soft sigh slipped through Alex's lips as she connected their mouths once more. Her hands roamed Piper's body, skating gently down her sides, over her thighs, under her knees as she pulled the girl impossibly closer. Piper's palms ran over her ribs, pausing under her shoulders, lightly brushing the swell of her breasts. Alex's fingers slowly trailed back down Piper's thighs, stilling just before her hips. Her thumbs traced gentle patterns closer and closer to the cusp of Piper's thighs, and Piper gasped faintly, breaking apart from her mouth, as she made soft contact with the sensitive area between her legs.

She watched the girl below her carefully as her touches grew firmer, insistent. Piper's eyes had fallen closed at the new and unfamiliar contact. Her fingers prodded gently at Piper's soft wet opening, coaxing her eyes open once more as they locked gazes silent conversation.

"Are you ready?" She whispered softly, her fingers sliding gently up and down between Piper's legs, slowly coating themselves in the warm wetness of her cunt as they waited.

"Yes." Piper breathed out, barely audible, nodding in case Alex missed it. "Go slow."

"I will." Alex murmured, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before pulling back to lock eyes once more.

She continued to trace the outline of Piper's sex as the blonde fought to control her breathing underneath her. Her thumb came to circle her clit before brushing against it in the barest of touches, causing Piper's hips to jerk violently off the bed.

"_Al-_" She gasped breathlessly, her arms winding tightly around Alex's shoulders in a desperate attempt to anchor the older girl to her.

Alex placed a soft kiss on her neck.

"Talk to me, kid." She murmured, a single finger just barely pushing into the opening between her legs. Slowly, so slowly, sliding deeper into her channel.

"Nnnmn." Piper groaned against Alex's collar bone. "Ah! It feels- _Alex_!" Her fingertips dug into Alex's shoulder blades as her hands flexed against the new feeling of having someone else in her body.

"Good?" Alex murmured, stilling her hand's progress as she awaited the blonde's confirmation to continue.

"_Yes_." Piper all but hissed. Alex found herself grinning into the girl's neck as she eased herself further into her warm inviting body.

"_Fuck, Pipes_." She rasped with a pant as her knuckle pushed to a stop against Piper's opening. She stilled again, allowing the blonde to become comfortable with her intrusion to her body. "You feel so..."

"_Yeah_."

They lay in silence for a moment, adjusting to each other's overwhelming presence. Alex dropping gentle kisses across Piper's heated shoulder and neck, Piper's fingers squeezing out a gentle rhythm against Alex's shoulders. Alex breathed deeply, her free hand caressing Piper's hip before trailing up her ribs. Her thumb stroked lightly at the underside of her breast and Piper sighed softly, flexing her hips gently. "_Okay_."

"Okay?" Alex confirmed, slowly flexing the hand currently caressing Piper's soft wet cunt.

Piper's hips pushed back against her hand with a slight more insistence. She began to pull her hand free from Piper's warm core before sliding it in again, her thumb brushing against Piper's pulsing clit as she established a slow, easy rhythm. She kissed a trail from Piper's neck, across her collar bones, down her chest to one of her protruding nipples. She placed a gentle kiss on it before drawing it into her mouth and sucking gently.

"_Al..._" Piper sighed, her arms finally sliding from the older girl's shoulders. Her fingertips skirted down Alex's back, circling gently at the base of her spine as her other hand trailed between them and down Alex's stomach. Alex's body jolted abruptly as Piper's fingers clumsily bumped against her clit. Her teeth scraped lightly at Piper's nipple in her surprise and Piper's hips jerked in need as she arched against the sudden sensation.

"_Pipes_." She breathed out, against the blonde's chest as Piper's fingers began to rub more insistently at the area between her legs.

"It's okay." Piper whispered against her temple as she slowly opened Alex up under her touch. Her fingers paused when they reached Alex's pooling entrance, tracing the outline of her opening with hesitance. Alex sensed her uncertainty through what was left of her slowly clouding mind.

"It's just like you'd do yourself." She murmured. "Just touch me like you'd want to be touched."

Piper's fingers hesitated only for a moment longer before she gently began to push herself into Alex's waiting warmth. Alex buried her face against Piper with a grunt, biting gently at her collar bone as the blonde filled her.

"Okay?" She murmured after a few seconds, her free hand raising to thread through Alex's hair. "Al?"

Alex nodded mutely against Piper's slick neck, before raising her head to capture her lips in a forceful kiss.

They began moving all at once. Matching each other's paces, meeting each other's thrusts, free hands traveling over every expanse of skin they could reach. Piper whimpered softly into Alex's sweaty skin as she eased another finger into her. Alex gasped breathlessly when Piper mimicked the action. They kissed each other gently, forcefully, rhythmically as the moved against each other. It didn't take long for the tug of that heavy-laden edge to reach them. She'd tried to draw it out as long as possible, keep Piper flirting with the brink of pleasure as long as she could, but as the blonde beneath her erupted with a hoarse exclamation Alex found herself quickly tumbling over that ledge after her. Their walls pulsed erratically against their fingers as Alex continued to stroke Piper down from her high, her own hips still flexing gently against the hand Piper still had buried within her, before they gradually stilled against each other.

Piper's hand slid gingerly from her wet heat and Alex slowly pulled her own hand from between the blonde's legs, a heavy sigh breaking through her lips as she tried to regain her breath. Piper buried her face in her neck, and she brought her free hand up to tangle in the blonde hair, holding her softly against her. Piper's arms snaked around her shoulders once more in a loose hug. She rubbed her nose into the older girl's neck before dropping a soft kiss against it and pulling away.

"_Alex_."

She met her sapphire gaze with a tender smile, pressing her forehead against Piper's once more and dropping a slow lingering kiss to her lips.

"_Yeah_."

They lost track of time as they lay quietly in the dying light of the afternoon sun across Piper's bedroom, softly tracing patterns across each other's cooling skin.

"I don't think it would have been that good with Larry." Piper eventually mused, causing Alex to look up from where she lay resting on her chest. Her chin came to rest against the younger girl's sternum with a muted grin. "But I definitely think we'll need to... practice. Some more."

A husky chuckle broke through Alex's grin as she watched the blonde's gaze dart across the room in practiced nonchalance once again before coming to meet Alex's amused one. "Is that so?" She murmured, fighting the insistent grin tugging at her lips.

"I mean it was good..." Piper trailed off playfully, the barest hint of timidness dancing in her tone. "but I definitely think we could do better."

Giving up in her hopeless fight against the growing grin alighting her features, Alex leaned in towards Piper's face with another husky chuckle. "You're right." She murmured throatily against the blonde's eager lips. "We definitely could stand to practice a little more."

Their lips met in giddy bliss as they grinned against each other's mouths, kisses breaking as the occasional laugh slipped through.


	4. Chapter 4

inspired by captainscarletts and her orange AUs on tumblr  
>musical inspiration (of course) <em>Sometime Around Midnight<em> by the Airborne Toxic Event

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><p>11:43<p>

The white letters of her cellphone blurred together before he eyes as Alex tossed back what was left of the drink in front of her. She'd lost track of what number she was on somewhere around forty-seven minutes ago. The music pulsing through the speakers was some melancholic lament about love lost and swirling darkness and she vaguely wondered how many times she'd heard it tonight (or maybe all music just sounded the same anymore. or maybe she was just drunk. which beat the _other_ sort of cloudy haze she'd taken to spending her nights in before Nicky pulled her to feet and began to work on building her pieces back together)._  
><em>

The chimes above the door had jingled twelve minutes ago and she'd happened to raise her eyes to the mirror across the bar before her for the first time since entering the quiet establishment (because Nicky had given up vying for her attention somewhere around thirty-two minutes ago). She told herself she was hallucinating (again), that the sapphire eyes and golden blonde hair reflected through the soft light before her was just some other late night, upper class bar crawler (not _her_ late night, sapphire-eyed ghost, never _her_ upper class, blonde haired memory). But it was going on fourteen minutes now and the familiar presence was still there (it's fingers closing around her neck, slowly squeezing the air from her lungs with it's falsely loving grip). And she could feel her. She could feel her eyes on her (because those fingers were tugging at _her_ neck too, that invisible thread that tied them together no matter how hard at it they pulled) and she tried so hard to ignore it (but she'd never been able to _not_ feel Piper Chapman's presence when she was near, and what the fuck ever made her think _that_ would change?).

She was wearing white. A dress familiar to Alex in the same way everything else about her was. She closed her eyes against the war of emotions fighting for control of the situation. The last time she'd seen that dress had been a Sunday afternoon. They were back in the city for the briefest of moments, visiting friends, family, _home_, not even anywhere foreign. They'd gone to a farmer's market that morning and her thoughts betray her by projecting the image of a laughing Piper against the dreary backdrop of the bar (only it wasn't the bar anymore and that white dress was swaying with the gentle breeze and Piper's soft laughter as she held up various questionably shaped vegetables for Alex's amusement).

Her laughter rings out across the bar as Alex catches her shimmering reflection in the mirror once more. She's holding a glass against her chest, running her hand down someone's arm, moving with the music in the smallest sway of motion. And the memories bleed into reality and Alex can't tell where one ends and the next begins before she's approaching her (and she knows she's coming before she sees her move, knows she's there before she speaks).

She begins slowly, but not tentatively (because tentative was something they'd never been), asks how she is, says it's good to see her, tells her she looks well (and she's drunk and she's giddy and she can't quite mask that shade of enchantment swirling gently against that shadow of guilt). And Alex answers her. Heaven help her, she gives her _everything_ (because when has she ever _not_?).

She's wearing perfume and the flood of memories already threatening to drown Alex yank her deeper into the churning depths as more and more images of Piper splash across the bricks of the bar walls. Scent was always the strongest sense tied to memory, she'd learned that much after her mother died and she spent the night sobbing against the sheets of her old house, relearned it the next morning as she came across an abandoned shirt of Piper's that managed to get lost in the hasty tanglings of her own, forgotten in the wake of their fallout (much like she had been).

Piper's skin glistens under the orange-yellow lights of the bar and against it Alex can see her own, she can see _everything_. Piper's skin glistens underneath her and next to her and inside her and it slides gracefully against her own, and they're rolling and they're tumbling and they're _still_ as memory after memory of Piper's skin glides over her. And that small gripping of anger that had begun to out-pull the rest of the warring tangled emotions filling her chest to the point of physical _ache_ was now beginning to lose ground in it's battle. Because she _hated_ Piper and she hated _herself_ and she hated every single thing they allowed themselves to become and every single thing each had allowed the other to _do_, but the smiling sated Piper who's skin glistened against her own as she held her in her arms and the laughing playful Piper who's dress danced in the gentle breeze of the Sunday afternoon told her that she could never stop loving her. And she remembers how they always used to fit together like two perfect broken pieces of one whole being.

And those fingers that had been slowly tightening around Alex's neck since the moment Piper Chapman walked into the bar were now choking the life from her lungs as she fought desperately to regain herself against the overwhelming feeling of _loss_. Her mother, her girlfriend, her best friend, the love of her life, her home, her _home_, she'd lost it all in one shattering moment. Those ruins she'd finally turned away from now lay in crumbles at her feet once more as Piper Chapman slipped gracefully away from her yet again in the haze of the bar.

A man she doesn't know offers her a coat she doesn't recognize and Alex screams at herself to tear her eyes away (as if there's anything else in the world to focus on when Piper Chapman is in the room), but she can't. Sapphire eyes dart to hers briefly as Piper shrugs the unfamiliar coat on, and just as quickly as she'd come, she's out the door (and her nostrils flair and her fists clench and her blood boils because if that isn't just _such_ the Piper Chapman way). Come into her life, ignite everything she thought she knew, then disappear just as quickly as she'd come, Piper Chapman had always been nothing short of a _storm_. Nicky's voice is ringing against her ear, asking her what the hell's got her so worked up, informing her that she looks as if she's just seen a ghost (but she's grabbing her jacket before anyone can stop her and bursting through the door before her mind can catch up with her).

The street lights bleed above her and the pavement heaves below her and she _screams_ (and people stare but she doesn't notice because all she can see is Piper, all she could ever see was_ Piper_). At the end of the block a taxi breaks and Piper is paused in the door of it, murmuring words she can't make out into it. She's stalking forward on unsteady legs growing steadier with every step that brings her closer to the blonde (that storm named _Piper Chapman_ rolling through her in increasing waves of anger and love and loss and hatred). Her hands are tangling in the coarse material of the coat as Piper's fist against the loose material at her collar bones when they collide. And they're drunk and they're tired and they're beaten and they're worn and all she wants to do is scream (scream until her throat runs raw and her voice gives out and Piper's ears ring with nothing but the noise of her devastation), but her snarling growl carries a sob as she shakes helplessly at the lapels of Piper's coat.

Her world lay in crumbles at her feet and she begins to fall to her knees among the rubble, but Piper's hands against her chest keep her from falling, and she vaguely notes that she's not alone in her sobbing as Piper's warm tears slide steadily from her own cheeks to Alex's temple (and it's a new sensation to not be _alone_ in a world inflamed with Piper Chapman). She loses track of the time as they fall apart against each other (she loses track of _everything_ as _Piper Chapman_ seeps steadily into her throbbing veins). And she knows it's a bad idea and she knows that they should both let it go and let it die and let it _be_ (because the only thing they've ever _truly_ been good at is breaking each other), but none of that seems to matter anymore as they clutch each other in the pulsing lights of New York City. Because _they're_ the only thing that ever truly _did_ matter.

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><p>There were a lot of background details I tried in <em>vain<em> to include in this story, like time frame and setting, and whether or not Litchfield existed or where Alex was in her drug use or if she was still with the cartel, but this story sort of ended up all flowing out at once (this is actually one of the first chapters/stories I've actually sat down and just written all in one go) and I can't find it in myself to squeeze them in anywhere. Because (much like the way the song itself seems to run) the story seems best left in an air of hazy muddled disjointed thoughts. So I apologize if it's hard to read in places or seems like a mess of confusion and nonsensical ramblings, it was just something I needed to get out and couldn't bring myself to alter. Though, I also did want to leave a lot of it up to interpretation as well, leave it slightly vague and floating so you can fit it into canon or AU wherever or however you see fit.


	5. Chapter 5

_(we're acquaintances in real life who didn't know we were mutually attracted to each other until we found out we both swiped right on tinder AU)_

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><p>Polly had been going on for 27 minutes now about some new health craze she'd read about on the internet that morning and it was all Piper could do to feign interest. She'd finished telling her about the latest developments in the world of cosmetics and had immediately launched into whatever it was she was going on about now. Piper had lost interest somewhere around the observations of the new vegan place at the mall and was now scrolling idly through her phone. Tinder. To be exact.<p>

"Ugh." Piper muttered as the familiar face popped up.

**ALEX, 27.**

**1 MUTUAL FRIEND.**

_Alex Vause_. Nicky's friend.

They'd met once or twice through the bushy haired girl. It's not that they _hated _each other, they were just generally… incapable of sharing the same space without eventually going at it like a couple of feral cats.

Alex would make a smartass, vague comment designed to set Piper off and Piper would never fail to disappoint.

"You'd fuckin' be perfect for each other if you could just stop bein' assholes for two minutes." Nicky would mutter.

Piper raised her thumb over the image, ready to swipe left and be done with Alex Vause until the next time Nicky forces them to interact again. She paused, finger hovering over Alex's stupid smug face. She _was_ fairly attractive. Piper tapped her thumb against the side of her phone idly as she studied the brunette's pictures before her. Yes, it was definitely a face Piper could sit on, even if the personality under it could use a little work. Or a _lot_ of work.

Well, what could be the harm in swiping right? If anything Alex would never find out, and in the off chance that she _would_ swipe right Piper could at least bask in the narcissistic fact that the cocky woman found her attractive.

"Hm." Her thumb slid across the screen, tossing the picture to the right, preparing to move to the next contender.

**IT'S A MATCH**

**YOU AND ALEX HAVE LIKED EACH OTHER**

Piper's fingers stilled over her phone as her blood ran cold. She hadn't been expecting a result so quickly. If anything she'd thought it'd be _her_ who swiped first, ready to be the shock for _Alex_ if/when she decided to swipe right afterwards. Fuck.

**ALEX SENT YOU A NEW MESSAGE**

That was quick. Piper wasn't sure if she was impressed or appalled.

**- well this is awkward.**

**- so you think I'm attractive.**

Piper scowled angrily at her phone. She could_ hear_ the smug tone oozing from the tiny black letters. Why the fuck had she swiped right.

**I could say the same to you. -**

She sent back irritably, unsure of what the brunette had to be so fucking smug about. _She'd_ obviously swiped right also.

**- nah, mine was a mistake.**

**- accidentally tapped the little green heart before I could swipe left.**

Piper stared at her screen in disbelief. No. There was no way. She was lying. She had to be lying. She was being her usual stupid asshole _Alex Vause_ self.

**you are so full of shit. -**

She sent back. She must have been full out glaring at her phone now because Polly paused her rant about Pete's fear of commitment to shoot her a confused look.

"What's wrong?"

Piper glanced up from the offending object, catching Polly's concerned expression. "Nothing. Sorry. Go on."

Her gaze lingered on the blonde in soft suspicion a moment longer before she launched back into her tirade.

Piper nodded and murmured along at her friend's rants, eyes flicking back to the dark screen of her phone every few seconds, awaiting the brunette's reply.

_Figures_. Alex was always one to start shit but the second Piper got confrontational she'd concede to Nicky's inevitably haggard _"give it a rest you two."_

Piper rolled her eyes in disgust, there was no point in waiting for a reply that would never come from this woman. She should just unmatch her now and save them both the trouble.

Her phone lit up.

**ALEX SENT YOU A NEW MESSAGE**

Piper's gaze flicked from the phone on the table before her to Polly, currently flipping through a magazine and giving commentary on whatever life decisions Kim Kardashian was supposedly currently making.

She casually slipped the phone off the table, unlocking it and opening tinder with strained slowness. She would not _rush_ for anything Alex Vause. Alex Vause was not worth it.

**- you caught me.**

**- I think you're pretty fucking hot.**

**- in fact, I'd have probably buried myself knuckle deep in you ages ago if you weren't so infuriatingly pretentious.**

Piper ignored the slight flutter that danced through her stomach (she also told herself she was imaging the small rush of heat between her legs), instead opting for the more immediate emotion flowing through her.

**_I'M_ PRETENTIOUS? -**

She furiously dropped her phone back onto the table before her, reaching swiftly for her coffee and taking a burning angry gulp. The NERVE of this woman! What in the world did Nicky see in her.

**- yes.**

** -revoltingly so.**

**- but it's okay.**

**- I'll still go down on you anyway. ;)**

Piper's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she read the brunette's response. And then read it again. And then reread it.

"Piper?" Polly's voice once again snapped her out of her reverie.

Her gaze shot up from her phone to the vaguely annoyed expression of her friend. "Huh?"

Polly pursed her lips in mild irritation, rolling her eyes before diverting her attention back to her magazine. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Pol, I'm…" Her gaze dropped back to her phone. The tiny black letters glowing tauntingly at her. "It's fine. I'm fine. Continue."

Her thumbs were already moving across the keypad as the words left her mouth.

**that's awfully confidant of you. -**

**what makes you so sure I'd let you? -**

She was losing ground in this weird repartee they'd somehow established. She needed to pull herself back together. She needed to knock that smug bitch down a peg. Or two.

**- I've seen the way you look at me.**

Or six.

Alright, Alex. Two can play at this game.

**Is that so? -**

The responses were immediate now.

**- It is.**

Both of them suddenly too involved to waste anymore time.

**okay. you're right. -**

**I find you attractive. -**

**I realized I was picturing myself sitting on that smug face of yours when I came across your profile, so yes, I swiped right. -**

Alex's responses halted. Piper grinned in satisfied glee.

She placed her phone back on the table, flicking her gaze back to Polly as she took another sip of her coffee. Good riddance, Alex Vause.

She was just beginning to zone out of Polly's newest topic when her phone finally buzzed with a reply.

**ALEX SENT YOU A NEW MESSAGE**

**- where are you?**

Piper furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she read the new message.

**why? -**

Her eyes swept the room quickly, apprehensively as if expecting the brunette woman to suddenly appear.

**- accept my snapchat request.**

Piper's thumbs hovered over the small letters of the chat, about to tap out a properly scathing response as to why she would never _ever_ have any reason _whatsoever_ to accept _any_ sort of social media friend request from _Alex Vause_ when her phone chimed with a new notification.

**VAUSEBITCH ADDED YOU ON SNAPCHAT**

Seriously? Piper rolled her eyes (a small comfort, she was _not_ conceding to Alex Vause if she was rolling her eyes in disgust as she tapped the ADD button in the snapchat app, and she was definitely _not_ eagerly anticipating whatever play this woman was gunning for next).

**NEW SNAPCHAT FROM VAUSEBITCH**

Piper's eyes once again flicked to Polly (now absently flicking through the newest issue of cosmo, still engrossed in whatever it was she assumed Piper was listening to her talk about), as she thumbed open Alex's newest tactic in their weird little battle.

Her gaze flicked back to her phone as the picture blinked onto her screen, and Piper suddenly found herself clutching her phone a little tighter.

Alex Vause.

Alex Vause's ample cleavage.

Alex Vause, her ample cleavage, and that infuriatingly smug smirk.

**SO U SAID SMTH ABT SITTING ON MY FACE?**

Piper continued to stare at her phone as the picture disappeared. She had been wearing a white v-neck that left very little to the imagination and Piper closed her eyes against the sudden image of herself sitting in Alex Vause's lap, ripping that delectably teasing piece of fabric over that infuriatingly smug smirk and off that achingly voluptuous body completely.

_Fuck_.

Her phone vibrated once more in her hand, pulling her abruptly from her cloudy thoughts, alerting her to the fact that she'd been day dreaming about Alex's snapchat for just a moment too long. _FUCK_.

**- I'm gonna take your silence to mean you liked it.**

**- you're welcome.**

**- though I notice you didn't save it.**

**- do you need me to send you another one?**

Her nostrils flared in annoyance. Annoyance definitely caused by Alex Vause's over inflated ego and in no way having to do with her words being correct in any way.

**- don't forget to save this one**

**NEW SNAPCHAT FROM VAUSEBITCH**

Piper's gaze flicked to Polly before opening the new message.

The white v-neck was gone. Piper couldn't tear her eyes away from the black lace bra if she'd wanted to (which she stubbornly tried to convince herself she _did_).

**- you didn't save that one either.**

**- geez, kid.**

**- I'm kinda feeling like you're not really appreciating my generosity here.**

Her thumbs were flying across the keypad before she really knew what she was doing. She was losing ground in their war and it was completely unacceptable. If Alex Vause wanted to push this Piper Chapman would _push it_.

**I haven't seen anything worth saving yet. -**

It was her first response in several minutes and it absolutely _shattered_ whatever sort of upper hand Alex Vause would ever think she'd had. _Check and mate, Alex_. Effectively having backed the older woman into a corner, she smirked. Alex would either have to give up her little gambit or take the next step in her incautious strategical power play, which Piper knew she would _never_ do.

Her phone was silent for all of eighty two seconds.

**NEW SNAPCHAT FROM VAUSEBITCH**

The black lace bra was gone.

The game shifted.

Piper saved the image.

The image itself was textless. Nothing but Alex's skin, and Alex's tits, and Alex's face. And that smirk. That smirk ever present smirk was still adorning her angular features only suddenly it seemed to hold more weight.

The image itself was textless, but Alex's face held all the unspoken words Piper needed.

_How about now?_

**- ah so that's what it takes to impress you.**

**- show a little skin.**

**- Piper Chapman you dirty little minx.**

The air of _immediateness_ that had been dictating their small war had suddenly dissipated and Piper found herself sliding her fingers along the sides of her phone as she pondered her reply. Everything suddenly seemed to tense in a slow suspense. _Dangerous_. Piper thought. Alex Vause is _dangerous_.

**well. -**

**now I have something to look at every time I ask myself why the hell you have such an over inflated ego. -**

Alex's replies are still immediate and Piper wonders for a second if she ever truly had the upper hand over the brunette at all.

**- I just fulfilled one of your secret fantasies and you're still giving me attitude.**

**- but I'll take the compliment.**

**- I'm well mannered like that.**

Piper huffed a soft laugh.

**you're gonna have to work a little harder than that if you want to get into my good graces, Alex. -**

She took a small sip of now cold coffee to sooth her nerves. Not school girl crush nerves, more like _I'm dancing with a dangerous animal who could potentially turn from playful to deadly if I take one wrong step_ sort of nerves.

**- it's not your good graces I want into, Piper.**

The replay was immediately followed by another image.

Alex's thighs were visible now, giving way to shapely hips encased in somewhat familiar black lace. She was still shirtless, and most likely still smirking. Piper could only assume on this part, though, for the picture cut off at her bold collar bones.

**it's an appreciative view. -**

**but not what I meant. -**

Piper's fingers drummed across the table, she could no longer tell if Polly was still speaking to her or not. She could no longer tell if Polly was even in the room if she was being honest (and somewhere along the line she and Alex had certainly become _honest_).

**- that's alright.**

**- I'm kinda liking the fiery temper.**

**- it kinda turns me on.**

Piper rolled her eyes.

**I'm sure. -**

Another message popped up.

**- I'm serious.**

Another picture arrived.

Alex Vause's fingers. Alex Vause's very wet, very sticky fingers. Her thighs and those lace underwear were still visible in the blurry background.

"Oh my god." Piper whispered before she could stop herself.

"What?" Polly's annoyed tone gave way to exasperated impatience. "Piper, who the fuck are you talking to?"

"No one." Piper all but squeaked out quickly. "No one, Polly, I'm- it's unimportant. Okay? I just. I'm _listening_, I swear!"

Her phone vibrated and she returned her full attention to the screen.

**- you can't seriously still be playing coy at this.**

Her eyes flicked over Alex's words before jumping up to the last message she sent to the brunette. _Okay_. She'd accidentally crossed wires during her placating Polly. She'd sent Alex a very abrupt _Okay_. Her unintentional response gave her pause. Maybe it hadn't been unintentional at all. Maybe it'd been subconscious. Because maybe Alex was right. What the hell point was there to continue playing at aloofness? Alex was obviously willing to take this as far as Piper desired and Piper suddenly found herself _desiring_.

Alex's assholeness, Polly's annoyance, and this whole damn coffee shop be damned.

**no, you're right. I'm not. -**

**show me more. -**

She could practically feel the smirk that was surely working it's way across the brunette's face right now.

**- what exactly am I getting out of it?**

Her response was immediate. Alex could ruin her with the bold truth of her pictures, Piper could ruin _her_ with the bold truth of her words. She'd told her to stop being coy. Piper was done being coy.

**the satisfaction of knowing I absolutely want to fuck you right now. -**

A new picture came in. Alex's face was once again present, bold white text scrawled out just underneath it.

**are you wet?**

Alex's fingers were wrapped tightly around her nipple, her mouth open in soft exclamation, all sharp teeth and wet lips.

**yes. -**

Piper's fingers had barely left the send button of her reply before a new notification lit her screen.

A video.

Her thumb hovered over the purple box for all of half a second.

Alex's hand was moving inside the black lace still adorning her hips.

Very deliberately.

Piper watched Alex Vause finger herself for ten seconds. Ten seconds that felt like ten years.

The video disappeared, leaving a new message in it's wake.

**- where are you?**

It had been a playful request last time, but Piper could sense the urgency in the small letters this time around.

**The Starbucks off 8th. -**

**where are you? -**

She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly all too hot, too jittery, too anxious. Squeezing her thighs together she shot a quick glance at Polly before returning her gaze to the phone before her. Come on, Alex, any fucking day now would be good.

**- My apartment.**

**- It's nearby.**

**- I'll send you the address.**

Piper shot out of her seat the second the small collection of numbers and letters lit up her screen. Polly glanced up in alarm at her sudden movements.

"The fuck, Pipes? Where's the fire."

She could only manage inconsistent muttering as she stumbled out of her seat, shoving her chair hastily into the table, her mind on _other_ things. "I uh, I um, I have to- I have to go, Pol. I have... um... I have to go."

Polly watched in annoyed confusion as she stumbled backwards towards the doors of the coffee shop in a haste, her voice small and fading as she called after her retreating friend. "_Piper_!? What the fuck!?"

It took her six minutes and forty seven seconds to make it to Alex's apartment.

It took Alex three seconds to open the door.

Alex Vause's strong arm fisting against the collar of her t-shirt and dragging her gasping lips against her own is the last thing Piper takes note of before losing herself in the haze of lust that had been steadily building since she'd swiped right on tinder one long torturous battle ago.

Nicky, of course, can tell _immediately_ when she sees them later that week.

Laughing explosively, she can barely compose herself long enough to wheeze out "_I FUCKING KNEW YOU TWO'D BE PERFECT_."

They can't quite bring themselves to hate her as much as they'd quietly planned to.


	6. Chapter 6

_[Imagine your OTP are not together yet, and they go swimming (bonus if it's with friends). In one way or another, they get into a splashing war, and Person A, realizing they have feelings for Person B, pulls B underwater for a kiss. Person B's reaction is completely up to you.] **[M RATING]**_

* * *

><p>"Chapman would yah calm down?" Nicky Nichols murmured quietly into the soft breeze of the summer night as she hoists herself over the fence surrounding the local country club's very exquisite, very private pool. Her friend, Piper Chapman, currently stood below her clutching a cooler full of smuggled goods (very courteously, albeit unknowingly) supplied from Nicky's mother's liquor cabinet. Digging the heels of her foot against the fence to steady herself, she reached down, gesturing for Piper to begin handing her the "supplies".<p>

"I still don't see why we can't just do this in _your_ pool." Piper muttered, hefting the cooler up to Nicky's waiting hands.

"Because sneaking in is half the fun." A voice behind Piper cut through the darkness, causing her to jump. She whirled to face the new presence.

"Vause!" Nicky laughed from atop the fence. "Well put, my friend, well put."

"Alex..." Piper murmured.

Alex Vause. Nicky's mysteriously alluring friend. They'd met a handful of times before. Through various parties of Nicky's and other assorted nights of general debauchery. The tall brunette currently stood a few steps away, eyeing Piper quietly, small smirk tugging at her lips. Piper could never really figure out what exactly it was, but there was definitely _something_ about Alex Vause that seemed to pull at her like a moth to flame.

"Piper." Alex grinned, a hint of teeth flashing slightly against the darkness of the gathering night.

"I didn't..." Piper faltered, eyes never leaving the older girl as she moved closer, coming to stand before her. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Oh. Chapman. I invited Vause. Forgot to tell you." Nicky quipped from the top of the fence (rolling her eyes, no doubt, despite the fact that Piper could not see her).

Alex chuckled softly, briefly breaking eye contact to watch Nicky jump down from her perch. Piper cleared her throat, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she composed herself. Something about Alex Vause always seemed to mesmerize her, much to her embarrassment (though it never seemed like it was to anything less than Alex's _amusement_).

"Lorna and the others are already here." Nicky called, beginning her trek towards the pool. "Feel free to join us whenever you're finished eye fucking."

"Would you like some help?" Alex smirked, ignoring her friend's parting comments.

"Help?" Piper murmured.

"Over the fence." She laughed, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. I mean no! I mean. I think I can manage." Piper fumbled out before turning to pull herself up the fence. Alex hovered at her back arms slightly raised to spot her as she pulled herself up and over before dropping down on the other side. Following quickly after, Alex landed beside her in a slight crouch.

"C'mon."

They made their way leisurely after the whooping group of kids and into the illuminated area of the pool. Alex was watching her closely as they walked and Piper's curiosity finally got the best of her as she turned to face the older girl's quietly shining gaze.

"What?" She asked, somewhat nervously.

Alex smiled knowingly before casting her gaze towards the growing activity before them. "Just glad you came. Nicky told me you weren't sure you were going to."

"Well," Piper sighed with slight annoyance. "Nicky can be _quite persuasive_ when she wants to be."

Alex barked out a warm laugh as she nodded quietly. "Yes, she can be."

"I would have RSVP'd sooner if she had mentioned you were coming." Piper murmured softly as they joined the group, meeting Alex's eyes meaningfully before ducking to grab a drink and allow herself to be whisked away by a loud and excited Taystee and Poussey. Alex's eyes trailed after her in pleasantly surprised reverie as the blonde was pulled quickly into the night. Chuckling to herself quietly she leaned to grab her own drink before joining the festivities.

They small party had been in full swing for a little over an hour by the time she spotted Piper again.

Alex was pleasantly buzzed as she leaned against her elbows at the edge of the pool, slowly polishing off her latest drink as a pair of legs dipped into the water beside her. Casting her gaze sideways she found herself grinning as her eyes came to land on Piper Chapman.

"Hey."

"_Hey_."

They studied each other for a moment as their friends carried on around them.

"What're you doing over here all by your lonesome?" Piper teased.

"Enjoying the party without actually _participating_ in the party." Alex replied, waving her empty bottle across the water.

"Alex Vause, uninterested in a perfectly good party?" Piper mock gasped. "It must be a sign of the apocalypse."

Alex chuckled deep in her throat as she eyed Piper appreciatively and Piper blamed the shiver running through her bones on the gentle breeze and cool water of the pool. "Well I had kind of made plans for a quiet, _intimate_ night in with my bed, but... as you said yourself, Nicky can be very persuasive."

"Ah. So we were _both_ strong armed into this lovely gathering."

"It would appear so."

Their eyes met once more and they watched each other silently, the rest of the party fading quietly into the background before a large splash broke them apart, causing them to turn towards the center of the pool where a spluttering Bennett began shouting at Mendez and O'Neill who stood laughing at the edge from where they'd thrown the smaller man into the pool. Someone loudly declared a water war as squirt guns began going off and bodies began tumbling into the choppy water.

Taystee and Nicky launched themselves in, dragging them into the fray and they soon found themselves partaking in the wild fight.

Chaos quickly erupted across the once still pool as muffled screams and the sound of splashing water echoed into the night. Piper found herself laughing giddily after heaving a particularly large armful into Alex's face, knocking her glasses askew. Growling playfully, Alex fixed her with a mock glare as she fixed her glasses atop her head before lunging. Piper tried in vain to leap away before Alex's arms enclosed around her. She laughed breathlessly as they struggled against each other and the rolling water of the pool. She turned towards Alex, slippery in each other's grip, and pleaded uncle.

"Oh no." Alex laughed, "You think I'm going to fall for that one again? This is what we in the business call _payback_, Chapman."

Piper let out one final shriek before Alex pulled her below the surface of the crashing waves. The world went still as the noise and chaos of the war above faded away under the water. Piper's eyes fluttered open momentarily, sweeping across this undisturbed world of peace below the surface. Alex's face swam before hers and their eyes locked for half a second before Alex's lips were against her own.

They kissed languidly, Piper's arm raising to tangle against the hair at the base of Alex's neck, pulling her lips more roughly into her own. Alex's hands squeezed at her hips as she tugged their bodies closer, legs entangling in the still waters. They breached for air all at once, lungs screaming. Eyeing each other quietly as they caught their breath, Piper absently noted that her back had come to rest against the far edge of the pool. The water of the pool lapped gently at her chin as she ducked below the water a little more before pushing her lips against Alex's again. Alex met her eagerly once more as their lips danced against each other and they bobbed through the dancing tide of the water.

Their friends continued laughing and shrieking and splashing behind them as they got lost in one another's touch. They'd managed to push themselves to a more secluded section of the pool in their struggle, which they now took great advantage of as their kisses grew hungrier. Alex's thumb was stroking rhythmically against her hip, dipping ever so slightly below the hem of her bikini with every downward stroke. They kept their shoulders submerged, allowing the water to lick against their chins and jaws as they stayed low in the darkness of the water and the night.

Alex's mouth moved to caress Piper's neck against the rocking water as Piper gasped softly against her jaw. Her fingers tightened in Alex's hair as her leg rose to curl around her hips. Alex's hand braced against the wall behind her as her other hand moved to cup Piper's other thigh, pulling her fully into her lap. Piper's legs wrapped tightly around Alex's hips as Alex's hand ran up her back, cupping the base of her neck and angling her head against her for better access as her tongue slipped into Piper's mouth. They broke apart once again after several moments of quiet exploration of each other's mouths. Their foreheads tipped against one another as they caught their fading breath.

Alex's eyes searched Piper's silently as Piper's darted between each of Alex's shining irises. Pulling away from her gently, Alex entangled their fingers and pulled Piper towards the ladder. Someone called after them briefly as they climbed from the pool, but their attention was only on each other as they slipped quietly towards the hot tubs across the garden.

Piper slid into the steamy waters and turned to face Alex, who stood paused at the edge of the small pool watching her. Their eyes locked as Piper moved to lean against the far edge of the tub, stretching out invitingly. Alex's eyes darkened as they trailed across Piper's taut muscles. She took a deep breath before lowering herself into the water and gliding towards Piper's waiting body. They hesitated slightly, searching one another, before connecting their lips once more, this time slowly. They explored one another's mouths without haste as Alex's hand trailed gently up and down Piper's side before coming to rest against her ribs, just under the top portion of her suit. Her thumb grazed the underside of Piper's chest as they kissed serenely.

Piper arched into the slight touch, gasping softly against Alex's persistent lips. Her legs rose once more to circle her waist, drawing their bodies closer as Alex's thumb delved beneath the fabric of her bikini top, brushing lightly against her now taut nipple. Throwing her head back with a gasp, Piper shuddered against Alex's teasing touch. Alex wasted no time kissing a trail from Piper's jaw to her shoulder, pausing to suck gently at the place where her neck and shoulder met. Her wandering hand pushed Piper's top away from her chest as her free hand came up to tug the garment loose completely. Piper inhaled sharply as the chilled night air mingled with the cooling water of the hot tub against her newly exposed chest.

Alex's lips dropped to map their way across her collarbone and down her chest, enclosing around a tight nipple. She suckled tenderly at Piper's chest as Piper's fingers tangled gently in her hair. "_Alex_." She breathed almost inaudibly, afraid to break the heavy silence but powerless to stop herself. Alex hummed softly against her chest, the vibrations sending shivers through her body, as her teeth scraped lightly against her nipple. Her right hand splayed across Piper's shoulder blades as her left rose to tug at the neglected nipple.

Their hips pushed against each other as Piper ground her pelvis against Alex's lap, desperate for any sort of friction. Alex pulled away from her chest to bury her teeth in Piper's bottom lip, pulling slightly before reconnecting their lips fully. Her hand trailed down Piper's stomach, dancing teasingly over the material of her bathing suit bottoms as the girl's hips ground desperately into Alex's barely there touches. Piper's hands slid down Alex's shoulders, tangling against the straps of her top and tugging wantingly. Pulling her hand away from Piper's grinding hips for a moment, Alex reached behind herself to loosen her own bikini top before throwing it carelessly into the water.

They gasped sharply as their chests brushed, nipples scraping against one another deliciously. "_Uh_." Piper grunted breathlessly, her head falling back, allowing Alex access to her fully exposed neck. Alex's teeth scraped gently down the column of her throat as her hand returned to tease at the material between Piper's legs. She pulled their bodies closer, tightening her legs around Alex's hips as Alex's fingers slide slowly under the fabric of her suit. Her fingers teased gently at Piper's folds before grazing against her opening. Piper arched her back, stretching against Alex as her thumb brushed against her clit. She rubbed lightly at Piper's opening as her tongue caressed the younger girl's chest, fingers just barely dipping into a wetness that had nothing to do with the pool of water they were currently sitting in. Her fingers slipping in and out with shallow dips as Piper's hips flexed in vain for deeper contact.

"Alex." She whispered breathlessly as the frivolous movement of her hips failed to encourage the older girl further. "_Please_."

It all happened at once as Alex stretched up to capture her lips once again, her fingers suddenly plunging deep into the heat of Piper's core as she swallowed the young girl's gasps. Piper tensed for a moment at the new sensation of Alex's fingers filling her before shuddering with deep, pleased contentment. Alex's hand had stilled, allowing for Piper to set the pace when ready. She enjoyed the stillness of their connection as their mouths moved against each other rhythmically.

They broke apart for a breath and Piper's hips began their push and pull motion once more, gently at first, hesitant to pull away from Alex's fingers for however brief a time it took her to raise up so she could slide back down into the girl's open palm. Alex grunted against her lips as Piper ground herself into Alex's up-turned palm with every downward thrust of her hips. She pulled their mouths apart to bury her teeth against the skin of Piper's throat, sucking gently between her tender bites as the girl steadily fucked herself on her hand.

Piper began to grow more vocal as her thrusts picked up speed, her fingers digging painfully into Alex's neck and shoulders as she scrambled for leverage. Abruptly she was filled with a sense of loss as her mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened. Alex's hands squeezed around her waist as her mind began piecing together the realization that Alex's palm was no longer cupping her cunt. Her walls pulsed adamantly against the loss of Alex's fingers as her body was quickly heaved from the water of the tub and onto the cool concrete of the pool deck. She arched her back against the jarring sensation of the cold ground where there had just been heated water as Alex spread her on her back before her, taking advantage of Piper's raising hips to rid her of her final scrap of bathing suit. She blinked dazedly down at the older girl as she positioned herself between Piper's trembling thighs, hooking one of her legs over her shoulder as she drug her hips closer to the edge of the basin.

"_Al-_" Her voice and whatever question she'd been brewing on her lips trailed off in a soft gasping whine as Alex's tongue traced a line up her center. Piper's free hand flew to tangle in the older girl's dark tresses as her other hand searched blindly behind her for something to grasp and anchor herself to the reality with. Alex's mouth worked avidly between her legs as her hand trailed soothing up and down Piper's side. She thrust her hips hungrily against Alex's face as her tongue prodded the warm entrance of her cunt. "_Fuck_." She gasped as Alex devoured her greedily.

Her heel dug desperately into Alex's firm shoulders as the brunette raised her free hand to once again slide herself into Piper's throbbing heat. Sucking steadily at her swollen, pulsing clit, Alex grinned against the warmth of Piper's cunt as she felt the younger girl's fingers tangle with her own atop her heaving chest. Her whines were growing heavier as her hips thrust steadily against Alex's mouth and fingers. Her walls tightening to near painfulness around Alex's hand as her body went rigid before convulsing suddenly with a heavy shudder. Alex continued to pump gently in and out of her as Piper's core pulsed rhythmically around her fingers, her tongue gently tracing the fluttering entrance of Piper's opening as she comes down from her high.

Piper exhaled with a soft and gentle sigh as Alex slowly slid her fingers from her sensitive warmth. She watched as Alex studied her fingers for a moment, sticky with the remnants of Piper's orgasm, before sliding them into her mouth. She moaned, just slightly, as they fell from her mouth, eyes locking with Piper's still heated, hazy gaze. Pulling herself lazily up Piper's body, still half submerged in the water of the Jacuzzi, a lazy grin tugged charmingly at the corners of her mouth.

"_Hey_."

Piper regarded her silently, still not entirely sure of her own actuality, before bringing a hand up to tuck a wayward strand of raven hair behind her ear as Alex rests her chin atop her hands on Piper's ribs. "_Hey_."

Alex laughs gently, giddily, as she raises to pull Piper gently back into the water of the small pool. She allows herself to slide willingly into Alex's embrace as the warm water laps gently at her gooseprickled flesh. Alex's neck is all too inviting and Piper buries her face against it with a quiet contented sigh as Alex's arms wrap around her in a lose hug. They're rocking gently with the lazy waves of the water when Piper's eyes begin to droop slightly as Alex's fingers weave gently through the hair at her temple.

They continued to float in silence for awhile, the soft hoots of their friends occasionally carrying along on the gentle night breeze.

"You alright." Alex asked eventually, tilting her chin to catch the blonde's eye.

"Yeah." Piper murmured, moving to meet Alex's gently expectant gaze. "That was..."

"_Awful_?" She teased.

A small laugh slipped through her lips as she moved against Alex's lap, pulling herself so they were eye level. "Yes. Awful."

They regarded each other in amusement as Alex hummed out an agreeable chuckle. Piper found herself once again drawn to the curve of her teasing lips. They kissed slowly for a moment before drawing back to gaze at one another.

"I'm glad that..." Piper began, hesitantly. "I mean I've always..."

Alex watched her silently, hands trailing in smooth patterns from her shoulders to the small of her back as she waited for Piper to collect her thoughts. Letting out a soft huff, she ducked her head to drop a gentle kiss against Alex's mouth. "_Thank you_."

Their eyes met again as Alex's hand trailed across her jaw, caressing her cheek, before sliding deftly into her hair and tugging their mouths together once more. They continued to kiss leisurely as Alex's back connected gently with the far wall of the hot tub. Piper's knees shifted from Alex's lap to bench below her as she straddled her, their kisses growing more heated.

"_I think it's your turn_." She whispered heatedly against Alex's ear, drawing the lobe between her teeth and tugging lightly.

Alex moaned deep in her throat as her hands to rose to cup Piper's hips. "_Are you sure_?"

Piper grinned against Alex's heating skin as she trailed a hand down her chest, pausing to flick her thumb against the straining nipple. "_Pretty sure_."

Their eyes met briefly, a silent heated exchange, before their lips crashed together once more. Alex's fingers dug imploringly into the skin of Piper's hips, leaving small blue-black indentations against the bone. They slid down to squeeze the tops of her thighs before Piper took them in her own hands, pinning them against the wall on either side of Alex's shoulders. "_Ah, ah_... _your_ turn."

Groaning quietly Alex's fingers entwined with Piper's briefly before the blonde's hands relaxed, sliding gently down her arms. She left Alex's lips to trail soft kisses across her slick collarbones, stopping only when she reached her peaked nipples. "I love your tits." She murmured appreciatively against Alex's slightly heaving chest as she trailed a finger teasingly around a nipple, careful not to brush against the tightened skin.

"_Piper_." Alex growled.

Piper flicked a short amused glance at the brunette's contorted scowl. "Hmm?" She hummed.

She grit her teeth, refusing to buckle under the blonde's teasing ministrations.

Piper blew a soft stream of cool air against the already straining nipple, causing Alex to jerk wildly as the cold burst of air mixed with the cooling water of the hot tub still clinging in droplets across her chest. Alex's hand clamped firmly against Piper's hair as she continued to torture her aching nipple, her chest heaving heavily with every breath. Piper watched her intently as she brought one of her fingers up to trail just barely over the tip of Alex's nipple, grinning as Alex's hand tightened reflexively against her hair.

Her head tilted down and they stilled as their eyes met before Piper moved to suck the tightened swell of skin into her hot mouth. An explosive gasping sigh fell from Alex's lips as Piper began to suck at the straining nipple, her free hand moving to tug at the other one. She grunted breathlessly as Piper's lips worked deftly over her aching chest. Piper hummed softly against her as she moved to take the other nipple into her wanting mouth. She worked Alex into a thorough state of arousal before finally disconnecting herself from the older girl's chest, pausing to inhale deeply, her nose brushing gently against Alex's hyper sensitive nipple.

"Your nipples smell like marzipan." She murmured thoughtfully, trailing a quick thumb along it before pulling away from the overly sensitized bud.

"_What_?" Alex panted, attempting to reign herself in.

A small laugh slipped through the grin slowly tugging at Piper's lips as she leaned up to capture Alex's mouth with her own once more. "Nothing."

Alex hummed affectionately against her lips as she kissed her slowly, her fingers dancing delicately from her ribs to her stomach. Her once tight grip against Piper's hair loosened as Alex's fingers moved to squeeze appreciatively at the base of Piper's neck. "I don't think anyone's ever shown my tits such admiration before." She husked against Piper's grinning lips.

"I told you, I like them."

"I believe you said you _love_ them." Her confident cocky tone faltered to a gasp as Piper pinched roughly at one of her nipples with a playful glare.

"Keep it up, Vause." She murmured against the older girl's teeth with a smirk.

"Fuck." Alex shuddered. "Who knew you were such a tease."

"Tease implies I'm leaving you hanging." Piper murmured, flicking her tongue quickly against Alex's bottom lip. "Trust me when I say I am _absolutely_ going to be getting you off. You just need a lesson or two in patience."

A tangled mix between a groan and growl slipped from the back of Alex's throat as Piper's tongue delved between her lips before quickly retreating. Her hands rose to cup either side of Alex's neck as she angled the brunette's mouth against hers the way she wanted. She gasped softly as the space between her thighs brushed slightly against Alex's stomach. "_Uhnn_... get out of the pool." She suddenly demanded with a moaning whisper.

Alex eyed her skeptically for half a second before succumbing to her will and hoisting herself out of the water backwards. Piper crawled up with her, settling her heat over Alex's stomach as she pushed the older girl to lie on her back, her legs still dangling over the edge of the tub and into the water. Their chests slid against each other as she leaned to place a hungry kiss against Alex's parted lips, and again she she slowly pulled herself into a seated position over the brunette. Her knees squeezed in disconnected pulses against Alex's ribs as she slid her hot cunt along Alex's slick stomach. Alex's arms rose to once again clutch desperately at Piper's gyrating hips.

They let out tangled panted moans as Alex watched Piper's slick wet heat slide against her stomach and Piper watched Alex's fixated stare. She trailed her hands down her body as her hips stilled, waiting for Alex's attention to refocus on her new movements. Alex's eyes darkened and Piper grinned as she tweaked her own nipples lightly, before sliding a hand further down the plains of her stomach. She could feel bruises forming under Alex's tense grip across her hips and she panted lightly at the thought of Alex's fingerprints remaining on her skin even after they part.

She watched the older girl closely as she trailed her fingers through her own folds, dipping lightly at her entrance before plunging deeply into her own wetness. Alex moaned loudly as she watched Piper's fingers slide through her heat with practiced ease. Eventually pulling her fingers free, she studied the sticky coating of her own arousal clinging wetly to her hand. She flicked her gaze to Alex briefly, holding the brunette's hardened gaze for a moment before reaching behind her to slip her hand beneath Alex's suit bottoms and trail her coated fingers against Alex's pulsating opening. Alex's hips bucked violently against her slight touch, causing Piper to momentarily lose focus as Alex's stomach brushed against her own pounding cunt.

She braced her free hand against Alex's taut stomach to steady herself and prevent Alex from throwing her as her still sticky fingers circled Alex's soaked entrance once, twice, her thumb swiping against her clit quickly, before sliding her fingers deep into Alex's waiting heat. Alex shuddered wildly at the sensation of Piper's fingers curling into her and the thought of Piper's juices mixing beautifully with her own. She was close. Piper knew it. Her walls clamped almost painfully against Piper's fingers as she pulled them out nearly completely before thrusting them back in with quick fervor. She fucked Alex hard as Alex's cunt pulsated and Alex's lungs struggled for breath and Alex's stomach flexed beneath her hand.

"Ohmygod. _Piper_!" She cried as her body began to convulse with pleasure. Piper continued to thrust her fingers in and out of Alex's opening as her world exploded around her, gradually slowing her pace as she eased the older girl through her orgasm.

Finally coming to a halt as Alex's hips stilled in their thrashing and her walls only fluttered with the occasional stray pulse of reluctant completion, Piper pulled her fingers slowly from Alex's sensitive core. She studied her coated fingers once again before bringing them to her lips with a tentative hesitance. She only faltered for a moment before sliding them between her lips, sucking what was left of Alex's arousal from her skin. Alex's eyes flashed dangerously as she rose abruptly, one hand snaking quickly behind Piper's back, pulling their slick and heated bodies together, the other pulling Piper's fingers from her mouth to capture her glistening lips with her own.

Their lips moved together languidly before the eventual need for air pulled them apart once again, their foreheads tilting to connect gently.

"_Wow_." Alex whispered against Piper's lips as they attempted to regain their breathing. Either of them had yet opened their eyes, a quiet attempt to prolong the feeling of their skin brushing, and the sound of their lungs heaving.

A soft exhale swept from Piper's lips to dance across Alex's, her blue eyes finally opening to meet Alex's. "_Yeah_."

Chuckling softly, giddily, Alex dropped another kiss against Piper's lips before allowing her gaze to sweep across the area around them. Piper sank bonelessly against her lap as the older girl swept a blind hand behind her, searching for her glasses. After a moment of quiet fumbling she managed to locate them and slipped them deftly over her eyes.

"Ugh." Alex sighed as she eyed the Jacuzzi before them. Bits and pieces of their suits lay clinging to the wet concrete, Piper's top floating dolefully along on the slight current of the gentle water.

"Mmm." Piper murmured.

Reaching around the lethargic blonde in her lap, Alex scooped the various pieces of their missing suits into her hands. "C'mon kid."

"Mmm." Piper hummed again, pulling herself from the warmth of Alex's lap to take the garments being offered to her.

They dressed slowly, standing before the now defiled hot tub. "We should probably get back, Nicky's bound to come looking for us soon." Alex sighed, pausing. "I'm kind of surprised she hasn't _already_, to be honest."

"'Probably on the other side of the club doing the same thing with Lorna." Piper mumbled, sliding into now cold top.

Alex hummed a chuckle in response as they turned to face each other once more, reaching out to adjust a crooked or twisted strap before catching one another's gaze and stilling for a moment. A soft smile spread across Alex's face as she studied the girl before her, sliding a palm across her jaw, caressing her cheek, and burying her fingers in blonde hair as she tugged their lips together once more.

They walked back to the group hand in hand, stooping to pick up empty bottles and towels as the rest of the group packed up their things.

"Aye, Vause, Chapman, where the fuck _you two_ been all night?" Nicky called cheekily.

"Around." Alex replied.

"Yeah, I bet you been _around_." She muttered teasingly. "Listen just do me a favor, a'right? I am gonna be nursing a _massive_ hangover tomorrow so could yah keep it down when you're sneakin' into each other's rooms later for round two? I'd like to get _some_ sleep tonight and I just don't have the time to listen to you two goin' at it like rabbits all night."

"Fuck off, Nichols." Alex laughed as Piper fought a blush she really should be used to by this point.

It was relatively quiet as they made their way to fence this time, hushed arguments about who would be staying in which rooms of the Nichols house, soft teasing about various events of the night, the occasional light banter. Piper leaned her head against Alex's shoulder as they trailed behind their laughing friends. And as Alex Vause helped her over the fence and back into the awaiting summer night Piper Chapman couldn't help but think that Chapman family outings to the country club were never quite going to be the same (but she found herself deciding that that wasn't really such a bad thing).

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><p>(I meant to leave this at the end of Radioactive, but I forgot, so I'm going to just toss it here.) I want to take a moment to thank everyone for the reviews and follows. I don't get much of a chance to reply to them personally but I do read and appreciate them all. I kind of felt bad for the length of time between this update and the last one, considering that last time I was in a creative period and churning things out left and right, and then (probably appeared to have) just suddenly stopped. So here's a somewhat large smut filled chapter hopefully to convey how sorry I am for the lack of updates recently and to hold you over until I can get back into that steady flowing creative place (and some free time).<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

inspired by the song _Cool Kids_ by Echosmith

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><p>It started slowly.<p>

Fleeting glances across crowded rooms, accidental brushes of shoulders or hands in busy hallways.

Piper's eyes would land on Alex Vause as her friends prattled on around her about the latest gossip in the bustling cafeteria. Alex and her own group of friends, a ratty lot, leather jackets, holed jeans, scuffed boots, _edge_. They'd be laughing and egging each other on, shoving one another playfully and yelling out the occasional lewd comment over the din of the crowded room. They were carefree and rebellious, captivating and _cool_. And Piper often found herself quietly envious of their freedom.

She never quite knew why Alex Vause was the main target of her attention, just that it was _she_ who Piper's gaze would linger on when allowing herself these quite moments of wistfulness. She was beautiful, alluring in a mysterious sort of way that Piper couldn't help but find herself drawn to. She'd sit stony-faced and passive in class (_always_ in class, while the rest of her friends were skipping in and out at their leisure Alex Vause was rarely absent, _and maybe_, Piper muses, _maybe this is part of the mystery that makes Alex Vause so interesting_) but her stoicism would always crack wide open when she was among friends, allowing a vibrant smile and shining gaze to bleed through her projected hardass exterior.

Piper wasn't sure Alex even knew she existed as she'd watch her across the cafeteria, imaging herself among their ranks. She doubted Alex would even know her name if anyone pointed her out. But she'd imagine them as friends, herself among the ragtag group of grinning, teasing companions. Alex pursing her lips and sharing her smirk with Piper as they laughed at their friends antics, Alex's arm slung casually along the back of her chair, fingers occasionally brushing against Piper's shoulders as they lounged side by side, Alex's knee bumping lightly against hers as their legs brushed under the table and they leaned into one another.

She always looked away right before Alex's eyes slid to her.

Alex's gaze would seek Piper Chapman out when she ran laps around the school track during gym class. It was her free period, the next to last class of the day, and Alex would spend it smoking on the bleachers with her friends as Piper Chapman ran around in scandalously short shorts and tight white shirt. Piper Chapman was one of the popular girls. The breed of girl who used to torment Alex throughout jr high and elementary school. Effortlessly attractive, valedictorian, trust fund kids who didn't have to work a single day of their life for anything and always managed to look like an advertisement for anything and everything desirable in life. And Alex would never admit it but she'd always envied them.

There was something about Piper Chapman though that set her apart from the rest. A softness, a realness, a _depth_ that the rest of them never quite seemed to have. She was attractive, cute in a gentle sort of way that Alex found herself intrigued by. She'd exude radiance among her friends, a shining sort of glow that called to everyone around her like moths to a flame (hints of a genuine light that the rest of them could never seem to come close to, and Alex would sometimes find herself wondering if she'd burn up into nothing if she ever truly did get close to Piper Chapman) but it was in the look she got when alone, a soft, quiet pensiveness, the slightest touch of melancholy as she allowed the popular girl/perfect daughter facade to fall away.

Alex knew Piper would never spare her the time of day as she'd watch her stretching slowly in the field below, imaging herself leaning into the fence beside her. She figured Piper probably wouldn't have the slightest clue who Alex Vause was if anyone happened to mention her name. But she'd imagine them together, herself beside Piper as she stretched. Piper grinning over her shoulder, giving Alex that beaming smile as she teased her gently about her form, her own hands running over Piper's muscles as she asked her to help her hold her positions, a small trail of goosebumps rising along her neck as Alex's warm breath slid against her skin.

She'd be turning to leave every time Piper's gaze shifted to the bleachers.

It began at a party.

A Nicky Nichols party to be exact. Her parents were old friends of Piper's, _she_ was an old friend of Alex, and it was the perfect impasse of worlds.

Piper had trailed quietly after her friends, it was supposed to be the party of the year. Nicky Nichols never disappointed. They'd tittered about it excitedly all week, eagerly swapping outfit ideas, gossiping about who'd hook up with who. They'd split up fairly quickly, scattering off in search of boys or booze or whatever else was deemed necessary for a good time, leaving Piper to mull about aimlessly by herself. She'd never really been a fan of the parties, attending more because it was expected rather than out of a desire for fun.

She couldn't quite place what it was or when it happened, this disconnect. Piper Chapman had the perfect life. Her parents were well off, she got good grades, she hung out with the right people. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and that soft conventional sort of beauty that made her naturally, effortlessly desirable. Most people knew her name and when she walked through the hallways of the school she was rarely without a surrounding group of equally attractive kids. Piper Chapman was someone who, for all intents and purposes, had it all. But there had always been an underlying gloom, for as long as she can remember, an ever present feeling tugging at the back of her mind that she'd only recently begun to understand as _emptiness_.

She was milling about the punch bowl when she ran into Alex Vause.

Alex hadn't exactly been eager to attend tonight's party. But her mother was working an unexpected double shift and she couldn't spend another night alone in an empty apartment. She'd pulled herself from her bed, slipped into her boots, tugged on her beaten jacket, and made her way to Nicky's. Her friends had been clamoring about this party all week, trading rumors about which of Nicky's "party favors" would be circulating, placing bets on who could hook up with who. Alex was debating whether or not to attempt seeking them out as she pushed her way through the crowd.

She didn't know why she came. She had no desire to be around people tonight, or at _all_ lately, it seemed. She'd been spending most of her time alone anymore, between her mother's increasingly busy work schedule and her friend's disinterest in anything outside their own concerns. She didn't exactly know when this depression started setting in, just that it was slowly eating further and further into her world, fraying at the edges of her vision, tinting the corners of everything she did. She'd recently begun toying with the idea of letting it win.

She was lost in the gloom of her thoughts when she stumbled across Piper Chapman.

Conversation began idly. Piper thanked the alcohol, Alex thanked the crowd. Eventually they found themselves on Nicky's roof, or a small awning of roof running along below the windows of Nicky's room and her mother's. An empty bottle of some sort of alcoholic beverage sat between them, another half empty one being passed silently back and forth as they discussed anything and everything on their minds. They were surprised at how easy it was once the conversation began flowing. Topics of literature and music soon dissolving into more serious discussions regarding Alex's mother and the details of their life (the fear of her growing depression) or Piper's family and their high standards (the slow burning emptiness at the corners of her soul).

They'd lost track of the hour by the time Alex hesitantly (_finally_) pressed her lips to Piper's.

They decided it'd be best left as a secret.

Because deep down they really didn't want to share. It was something best left unhindered by the opinions or comments of Piper's family and friends, best left untarnished by the criticisms and teasing of Alex's gang. Piper would pick Alex up and they'd slip away into the next town, away from prying eyes and judgmental scolding, away from the Piper and Alex everyone expected or thought of them to be.

The slow burn that dictated them for so long fell away as their relationship deepened. Piper's picking Alex up expanding into Alex sneaking through Piper's window, their low voiced discussions over dinner tables stretching into hushed conversations across shared pillows. They fell in love like an igniting fire, sparking quickly and burning slowly. And nothing else mattered.

Things carried on as usual in the halls of school.

They'd pass each other in the hallway without so much as a fleeting glance (though no one noticed a small smile that sometimes broke out upon the softest brush of hands or shoulders), and they'd slide into seats on opposite sides of the classroom with nothing more than the barest flick of attention (but no one noticed when gazes met and lingered for the briefest of seconds, the rest of the world falling away momentarily).

Piper's eyes traced Alex's face as her friends giggled around her over the latest drama, an involuntary smile gracing her lips as Alex's laugh rang through the cafeteria. Her thoughts turning over memories of a movie they'd gone to see together the previous week. Alex had pushed the armrest up and she'd eagerly snuggled into her side as the lights dimmed, Alex's arm snaked around her shoulders, fingers toying absently with the ends of her hair, Alex's warm body pressed tightly against her own as she burrowed deeper into the older girl's warmth.

And she blushed gently every time Alex's eyes slid to her.

Alex's gaze trailed over Piper's body as she ran her daily laps around the track, the smoke of her cigarette releasing from her lungs in a shaky exhale as Piper smiled brilliantly at one of the younger girls on the field. Her mind fogging over with memories of their last night shared in Piper's bedroom. Piper had thrown her a gentle grin over her shoulder as she let her clothes fall slowly to the floor, she'd traced her hands reverently over the newly exposed plains of Piper's body as she whispered soft promises against Alex's hair, a small smattering of goosebumps blossoming across her skin as Alex's breath danced across her collarbones.

And Alex always waited for Piper's gaze to shift towards the bleachers before rising to slip back into the school.

They managed to keep it a secret for the entire year.

Until the night of graduation comes and Alex presents Piper with the keys to a gently used jeep she'd managed to buy and an unmarked map of the world. Piper hasn't yet told her parents she's decided to take a year off before college, Alex only just yesterday told her mother about Piper. She spends the entire night in Piper's bed for the first time, waking together to the gentle rays of the morning sun flushed with anxious giddiness.

They lose track of each other in the commotion of graduation festivities and don't catch sight of one another again (save for the fleeting glances shared as each of their names are called to march across the stage) until the end of the ceremony. Piper has managed to slip away from her family, taking advantage of their muted shock upon her announcement of delaying college for an indefinite cross country adventure with her girlfriend. Alex is waiting for her when she slips into the jeep and kisses her full on the mouth in the school parking lot in front of everyone they've ever known.

And when they break apart to meet one another's gaze there's a matching grin on both their faces and a new world ahead of them.

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><p>I feel like this ending is sort of rushed but I don't really know what else to do with it and I'm slightly drunk and just want to publish it.<p>

Also, I forgot to put this bit in the last chapter, I love all the reviews asking for expanse on certain stories. It makes me glad to know people are falling enough in love with these short little story bursts to yearn for more from the same universe, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to _truly_ write a multi-chapter fic. Simply because I hate leaving stories unfinished. It's always painful to start reading a fic, fall in love with it, and then never see an update again, and I don't want to do that. I'd have to have the entire story planned out thoroughly from the get go if I wanted to write a multi-chapter, and truthfully if I ever do get the idea for something larger than these semi-short drabbles I'd probably just post it as one giant mega oneshot anyway. But I do truly love the encouragement for more. If all goes well there is _one_ lengthy idea I've been slowly writing chunks of that could theoretically be a multi-chapter story (though as I said I'll most likely post it as one giant oneshot, because along with hating abandoned fic I've always been way too impatient for fic updates in an on-going story).


	8. Chapter 8

_[Imagine your OTP hanging out with friends at someone's house. After a while of teasing and hidden touches, they sneak away to be alone. But as soon as they've started undressing, their friends barge into the room without knocking, only to stop in horror.]_

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><p>Piper Chapman had only met Alex Vause a handful of times.<p>

She was friends with Nicky, a member of the "edgier" crowd she ran with when out of her mother's reach. The kind of people Piper's mother would never in a thousand years allow her to keep any sort of company with. Which is part of the reason Piper was so intrigued by her. Alex Vause held a certain air of mystery. She carried herself with the attitude of someone who's got nothing prove because they simply don't care what you might have to say about them anyway.

Alex had taken her own interest in Piper from their initial meeting. She'd been weary at first, Nicky's hushed warning that she was an unintentional friend from her _other_ life, ringing in her mind. But Piper was cute and Piper was sweet and Piper was _different_. And Alex enjoyed the flustered fascination she regarded her with every time they came in contact.

When Piper had agreed to this sleepover (a ploy concocted by Nicky in order to appease her mother's weariness as she went on another one of her _trips_; "It'll be a small sleepover mom, alright? A couple friends. So there's a guarantee there'll be no partying. I'll invite the Chapman girl, even!") she hadn't been told Alex Vause would be on the guest list. Not that she was complaining.

So now here she stood, hesitantly inside the Nichols' foyer, in a heated stare down with none other than the tall brunette beauty herself. _Alex Vause_.

"Piper." Alex purred.

"Hey." Piper's voice was slightly more wavering. "Alex."

"Nicky didn't tell me you were coming." Her eyes glinted with a flash of _something_. Something Piper couldn't quite place, but something she found herself blushing at.

"Yeah." She murmured. "Likewise."

"Everyone's downstairs. Here, lemme take your bag."

Before Piper could protest Alex had grabbed her bag and began moving through the house. She drew a deep breath, forcing down the blush that she could still feel coating her cheeks, before following the older girl.

It was an odd collection of people, Nicky's ragtag band. Nicky herself was nearly two years older than Piper, though technically in the same grade after being left back one year in elementary. They'd initially met through their parents, who ran in the same social circles, and eventually Nicky's hesitant acceptance of the blonde began to bleed into their school life. Piper figured it had something to do with Lorna Morello, who sometimes hung around Piper when they shared a class together with none of their closer friends. Though once Nicky had succeeded in wrapping Morello around her finger (or so Nicky put it, Piper personally seemed to think it was more the other way around) her demeanor towards the blonde softened, gradually coming to view Piper as an unlikely but welcomed friend.

As it was, Alex Vause was a grade above them, several years older than Piper, and one of Nicky's oldest friends. She was, for all intents and purposes, someone Piper Chapman would _never_ have come across or interacted with if it weren't for her unconventional relationship with Nicky. Which Piper thought was a fair exchange in lieu of the Lorna situation. Piper wasn't exactly sure what Alex saw in her personally, it took her several awkward get togethers to even begin to convince herself that Alex's interest in her was genuine and not some elaborate joke. But the older girl always seemed to be just as enchanted to see her as _she_ was (though with much less fumbling, blushing, and awkwardness than Piper typically exuded).

Piper never told Polly about her secret... _whatever this was_... with Alex Vause. Polly barely approved of Piper's tentative friendship with Nicky, and Nicky was at least from the same general circle as them. It's not that she was looking for Polly's approval though, she mused as she watched Alex laugh at something Nicky said, tossing Piper's bag next to another one at the foot of the couch. No, Piper's reasons for keeping Alex Vause a secret were entirely selfish. She simply didn't want to share. Alex was a secret slice of a small pleasure Piper had allowed herself, this tiny world carved out of her friendship with Nicky in which she no longer had to play perfect daughter or model student. So what if she wanted to keep this part of her life a secret to herself. She deserved it.

Alex's gaze had turned to her and Piper's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she faltered under the brunette's intense gaze once more. She was watching her. Expectantly. She'd asked her something. Fuck.

"What?" Piper finally managed to utter.

"Chapman! So nice of you to join us!" Nicky exclaimed from the corner of the room. "We've only been talkin' to you for five minutes."

"Sorry." Piper blushed, throwing a breathless greeting around the room. "Hey."

Lorna and Nicky were currently squashed together in the obnoxiously large lazy boy in the corner of the room. Poussey and Taystee nodded their hellos from the floor in front of the TV, which Piper returned with a soft smile. She had a few classes with Taystee and considered her among her favorites of Nicky's eclectic collection of friends. Cindy (or _Black_ Cindy as she insisted upon being called for reasons unknown to Piper, apparently there was something about a white Cindy who she'd never met or got the full story on) tossed out a loud and somewhat bored sounding _WHATUP_ from the counter of the bar at the back of the room where she stood pouring drinks next to Nicky's friend Boo. Piper cut a quick glance over to Nicky in silent questioning, Black Cindy was typically only among the group when larger parties were involved and even then it was rare to see her without her friend Watson. Nicky only shrugged nonchalantly.

"Alright so I ordered pizza, I hope yous bitches is hungry." Nicky calls out lazily. "I figure we'll wait to start the movies until that gets here. For now you're free to do whatever your little gay hearts desire."

"Yo!" Black Cindy called out indignantly. "Not all of us is _gay_, Nichols."

Nicky merely rolled her eyes, hefting herself out of the chair with an exaggerated air of cheeriness. "Vause has suggested a game of poker so all who are interested please place yourselves around the table immediately."

Piper watched as Nicky, Boo and Cindy began to shuffle around the small table by the bar before casting her attention to Poussey and Taystee who were now booting up a video game on the television. She'd just begun to take a step towards the them when a shoulder collided gently against her own.

"C'mon, Chapman. Don't tell me you're gonna skip out on poker." Alex's voice taunted gently at her ear.

She turned towards the older girl, smiling warmly before hesitating. "I... don't know how to play." She quietly admitted.

"Well now you definitely have to come." Alex gasped with mock surprise. "Come on. I'll teach you."

Their shoulders knocked gently again as Alex gave her a light shove towards the table, her hand coming to reset at the small of Piper's back, and suddenly Piper's feet were moving before she could stop herself.

They slid into a pair of vacant seats next to each other, pulling them closer together so their shoulders brushed.

"Ay ay ay, what's this!" Nicky called indignantly. "There will be no cheating in this gentleman's game."

"Fuck off Nicky she doesn't even know how to play."

"Rule is rules, Vause." Nicky drawled, shuffling through her cards. "You think I'm not wise to your ways. Like you even need it anyway yah goddamn hustler."

"Fine then, she'll be on my team." Alex countered throwing an arm around the back of Piper's chair and pulling her closer still. "Which will pretty much only work in your favor."

Squinting at her in quiet suspicion for a hot moment, Nicky finally relented with a grin. "A'right, Vause. You're right. It's your funeral."

Piper _tried_ to pay attention to Alex's murmured lessons, she really did, but it was very hard when Alex's face was _very_ close and her voice was _very_ hushed and the softest puffs of her breath were colliding _very_ lightly with Piper's neck as she whispered softly to the younger girl. Her arm had moved from the back of her chair once she'd been dealt her cards (Piper had deflated slightly at the loss) and now occasionally caressed Piper's thigh as she directed the girl's attentions and dictated the flow of the table (which Piper had to admit was a much better arrangement). Piper watched her intently, their gazes locking over the cards every so often as Alex murmured quietly. At one point her hand fell to Piper's leg and remained, as she stroked a gentle path back and forth across Piper's jeans with her thumb. Piper's eyes jumped to Alex's once more and she was met with a soft knowing smirk that simultaneously melted her into a puddle and set her taut with a vibrating excitement. At some point she'd managed to pluck up enough courage to run her own fingertips lightly up and down Alex's wrist, causing the older girl to shift and lean into her. Piper was nearly delirious with contentment.

They'd played several hands (Alex winning every single one) before Nicky kicked her grumpily from the game with a grumbled huff about _goddamn hustlers_. The doorbell rang not long after that and Alex, having been kicked from the current round offered to retrieve the pizzas (_"It's the least I can do after robbing you all blind"_ she'd cackled).

"Wanna give me a hand?" Alex had turned to her and murmured.

Piper smiled shyly back at her, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "Sure."

They headed upstairs in silence, Alex's hand ghosting occasionally against Piper's back. Alex smiled warmly as she accepted the pizzas and paid the delivery boy, turning to hand them to Piper as she fished out her wallet. Their fingers brushed when she reached to take half the load after closing the door and Piper once again found herself blushing lightly.

Whoops of joy broke out as they reentered the basement, arms laden with several boxes of warm pizza. Poussey, Taystee, and Lorna ambled over, video games now forgotten as the delectable aroma of food wafted through the basement. They all piled their plates high with greasy masses of dripping cheese before piling back over towards the television.

Taystee and Poussey dropped to their pile of blankets before the TV once more, Black Cindy and Boo settling down beside them. Lorna curled back into the large recliner she and Nicky had been sharing when Piper first arrived. Piper paused idly in front of the couch as she watched Nicky ruffle through a pile of DVDs, a small debate breaking out across the room.

She was watching Alex out off the corner of her eye, still lingering around the bar and boxes of pizza. She stacked an assortment of the various slices onto a plate then moved two of her fingers into her mouth, gently sucking some wayward grease from their tips. Piper observed dazedly. She was lost once again in her thoughts when Nicky's voice boomed loudly.

"CHAPMAN."

She jumped abruptly, nearly dropping her plate of pizza. "What!?"

"God_damn_, girl, you are fuckin' _out of it_ tonight." She grumbled.

"_What_, Nicky?" She asked again, somewhat embarrassed at her reigning lack of focus.

Alex's husky chuckle filled her ears and Piper gave herself a mental pat on the back for managing not to swoon. She laughed warmly, slipping around Piper towards the couch behind her as Piper continued to stand before it, eyeing Nicky. "Just put it on, Nichols. She'll be fine. You don't give her enough credit."

Dropping heavily to the couch with a content sigh, Alex eyed her expectantly. She turned her attention from Nicky (who'd just finished placing a DVD into the player and was now climbing back into the recliner with Lorna) to the brunette waiting patiently behind her.

"It's kinda hard to watch the movie _through_ you." Alex teased gently, patting the spot next to her as Piper continued to _not move_.

"Oh. Right."

She slipped onto the couch beside the older girl and nibbled quietly at her pizza. If she kept her focus on things _other_ than Alex Vause and how close they were sitting then she could _maybe_ make it through this night alive. Fat chance.

It was a simple enough endeavor for the first fifteen minutes. When she still had pizza. And the movie's plot was still slowly unfurling. And the lights were still on. But the second she placed her empty plate on the coffee table before her Boo shot up to turn out the lights with a muffled "_Perfect timing_." Perfect timing for _what_ she was about to ask before the music swelled and she realized what Nicky must have been asking her about fifteen minutes ago when Alex had told her she'd be fine. Oh. A horror movie. Fuck.

She unconsciously settled deeper into the couch as the movie's true nature began to unfurl across the screen. Her thigh brushed against Alex's hand and she recoiled slightly in timid shock. Alex cast a sideways glance her way before leaning forward to rummage for something at the end of the couch. When she leaned back into her seat a soft blanket was drifting down across them and a light smile was touching her lips.

"Oh, Thanks." Piper murmured as they settled deeper against each other.

They were another fifteen minutes into the movie when Alex's hand began to draw soft patterns against the top of her thigh under the blanket. Piper tensed for a moment, and Alex's hand stilled as their gazes met. She was watching Piper closely, waiting to make sure she was comfortable before resuming the gentle motions. Piper blinked, holding the other girl's gaze before returning her attention to the movie and shifting just a little bit closer. She watched Alex's slow smirk unfurl from the corner of her eye as she returned her own attention to the movie.

Piper's hand grasped Alex's as she jumped, squeezed it as she tensed, and traced gently around her wrist as she relaxed. Her head had fallen to Alex's shoulder at some point and her attention was only half on the movie (she wasn't sure Alex was even watching it at all anymore) as their touches grew more heated underneath the blanket. Alex's fingers hand begun to slip higher and higher along her thigh and were now dangerously close to the juncture of her legs, fingertips skimming her inner thighs just barely as she stroked lightly. Piper shifted slightly, unintentionally jostling Alex's slow path, and they both stiffened as her hand brushed against the crotch of Piper's jeans. Their gazes met again and Piper could no longer mask the heated longing in her eyes as she took in the hesitant unbridled lust across Alex's.

_Fuck it_. She thought.

Holding Alex's gaze she thrust her hips softly, just once, against the hand still resting at the apex of her thighs.

Alex's gaze swept around the room quickly, taking note of the various faces still heavily immersed in the movie, before returning to Piper's. They slid closer together, just slightly, so as to not alert the others to their movements.

"_Keep watching the movie_." She whispered hotly against Piper's ear.

Piper nodded almost imperceptively, turning her face back towards the television, watching Alex through the corner of her eye.

Her palm turned fully against Piper as her fingers began to rub at the center of her jeans. Lightly. With just enough force for Piper to feel the barest hint of pressure. She bit back a whimper as Alex's fingers began to build a steadier tension. Alex's own face was still turned slightly towards her, keeping note of how comfortable she was, eyes occasionally skirting around the room to assess where everyone else's attention lay.

They remained this way, Alex touching her steadily through her jeans, for a short while before Alex's fingers snaked up to flip open the button and slide underneath the material. She inhaled quietly as her fingers met the material of Piper's panties. Damp. So damp. So fucking damp. She rubbed against her lightly a few moments longer as Piper fought to keep quiet.

Alex must have sensed her struggle because she quickly withdrew her hand, stretching her arms above her head with an exaggerated groan (a well timed exaggerated groan as Piper whimpered softly at the sudden loss, and no one was any the wiser) in a stretch.

"Mmmm... I'm gonna make some popcorn." She murmured to no one in particular as Piper stared up at her in quiet disbelief. She shot the blonde a significant glance as she began to move from the couch.

Oh. _Oh_.

"I'll come with you!" Piper exclaimed shooting up from the couch a little too quickly. Nicky eyed her suspiciously for a moment. "Alright! I'm scared! You win Nicky, stop looking at me like that."

Alex couldn't stop the grin sliding across her face at Nicky's cackling acceptance. She'd underestimated the wily blonde. "Come on, kid." She murmured, pulling Piper against her protectively. "I'll keep you safe."

"Yeah, I bet you will, Vause." Nicky called tauntingly after them.

Alex shot her a middle finger from across Piper's back as the two made their way up the stairs to the kitchen.

Her hand slipped from Piper's waist once they'd reached the kitchen, pausing as the blonde turned to face her. "Well look'it you all quick on your feet." She purred. "_I'm scared_."

Piper giggled breathlessly as she stepped slowly into Alex's space. "Honestly? I can't believe Nicky bought it."

"Me either." Alex laughed, reaching out to pull her closer.

Her arm slid around Piper's hip and she allowed herself to be pulled against the older girl's warm, inviting body with a grin. Alex dipped her head to place a soft kiss against Piper's neck before drawing her face into her hands.

"Is this okay?" She husked quietly as their gazes locked, thumbs brushing gently across Piper's cheeks.

"Yes." Piper whispered.

They shared a quiet smile before Alex leaned in to place her lips against Piper's. Their lips melded perfectly and Piper fought to keep her knees from buckling as Alex held her mouth against hers. They kissed steadily for a moment, languidly, before Alex leaned forward with a sudden urgency. The kiss deepened as she began to back Piper towards the kitchen table. Her back connected abruptly with the edge and Alex wasted no time hoisting her onto it and stepping between her legs.

Her hands dropped to Piper's hips as they helped her onto the table and Piper felt her own hands fist tightly against Alex's shirt, drawing the older girl impossibly closer. She shifted to wrap her legs around Alex's waist as Alex's hands began slowly pushing up her t-shirt. Their kiss broke momentarily as Alex shucked the shirt over Piper's head and onto the kitchen floor.

Alex immediately moved to palm Piper's breasts as their mouths connected once more, and Piper arched against her touch, her own hands moving down to slide under Alex's shirt. She moaned deeply as Alex moved to pull at the straps of her bra, placing a hot string of kisses against Piper's exposed shoulder. Taking advantage of Alex's momentary distraction, Piper ripped the brunette's shirt over her head before letting it fall to the kitchen floor to tangle with her own.

She ran her hands up Alex's back, sliding beneath the fabric of her bra as Alex's hand returned to Piper's still unbuttoned jeans. Her fingers dove beaneath the tough material once again to stroke heatedly at the damp fabric of her panties.

"Damn, Pipes, you're so fucking wet." She panted hotly against Piper's shoulder.

"Your fault." Piper murmured dazedly, pulling her nails down Alex's back, causing the older girl to lean into her with a soft bark of laughter and a quiet moan.

Their mouths returned to each other once again as Alex's fingers moved to slide beneath the final layer of fabric separating her from Piper's wet heat.

"What the ever loving FUCK."

They sprang apart from each other immediately. Piper raced to cover herself as Alex moved in front of her, turning to face the door behind her. Nicky stood gaping at them from the doorway to the basement, the rest of the girls peering out from behind her in similar states of shock.

"Fuck." Alex grumbled, rolling her eyes skyward as she reached for Piper's shirt.

"UNBELIEVABLE." Nicky exclaimed. "_Defiling_ my kitchen table in the cover of darkness under the guise of retrieving popcorn. How DARE you. I eat dinner there."

"Apparently Vause does too." Poussey quipped quickly from behind her as Taystee squealed with glee.

"Shut the fuck up, Nicky." Alex grumbled, turning away from her friend's teasing glare to the blonde before her. Piper's face was cherry red as she buried it in her hands, Alex stroked her chin gently, catching her eye through the gaps in her fingers, before leaning down to retrieve her own shirt.

Nicky let loose another whoop of laughter as the rest of the girls chattered teasingly behind her. "Chapman, I gotta say, I am quite frankly surprised. Had I known you were on the level I would have worked a little harder to become better friends with you sooner."

"Ugh." Piper murmured from behind her hands. "I can't believe this is happening."

Letting out one final bout of laughter, Nicky turned to begin shooing everyone else downstairs once more. "Ahhh, Chapman, relax, all's well. You're among friends."

Piper's hands dropped from her face to regard Nicky wearily as she paused at the threshold of the basement once more. Alex still stood protectively before her.

"Seriously," Nicky murmured, a genuine smile alighting her face. "I'm happy for you guys."

Their eyes met briefly as they turned towards each other at Nicky's gentle words, soft smiles touching their lips.

"Lemme just grab the popcorn and I'll leave you two lovebirds to it."

Alex turned towards Nicky, brows furrowing. "Nicky, we didn't _actually_ make popcorn."

"What!?" Nicky roared dramatically causing both girls before her to jump. "YOU SNEAK AWAY TO DEFILE MY KITCHEN AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN MAKE THE POPCORN!? You know what, I take back my blessing, unbelievable."

Her continued muttering drifted softly through the door as she made her way back to the basement and Alex and Piper turned to each other, alone once again.

"Well." Piper murmured.

"Yeah." Alex laughed.

"I guess we should probably head back downstairs. I don't really think I can continue this knowing everyone is down there listening now." She groaned.

Alex laughed softly once more, as their gazes met and pulled Piper in for one more kiss. "No." She whispered mischievously. "I guess we'll just have to wait until they all fall asleep and sneak into Nicky's bed to finish what we started."

"Mmm..." Piper hummed eagerly against her lips. "Yes. I think that sounds like the perfect idea."

They kissed softly for a moment longer, giggling giddily against each other's lips.

"Come on," Alex whispered as they broke apart. "The sooner we get down there the sooner we can convince them all the fall asleep."

She helped Piper slide down from the table, and they made their way quietly back to the basement, fingers tangling together gently, and thoughts of iimpending revenge and eager promises swirling through their minds. Though for now they were simply content to _be_.


	9. Chapter 9

_('The person living in the apartment across the wall to mine is a nymphomaniac and yeah okay they're p hot but it's v hard to write an essay on feminism when all I can hear is sexual screaming.' au) **[(soft) M RATING (ish)]**_

* * *

><p>The moaning from next door grew louder as Piper clenched her fists above her books.<p>

It had been going on for several weeks now. This never ending parade of loud sexual women through her neighbor's apartment. It had been silent when she and Polly first moved in two months ago, but roughly about midway through last week the parade had begun. Out of nowhere. Piper hadn't even known she'd _had_ a neighbor before the nightly rituals started up.

Women. Women upon women upon women upon women. All screaming her neighbor's name. All night long. Sometimes even during the day.

She'd _tried_ to talk to Polly about it, but the other woman just apparently could not be bothered. ("I don't know what you're talking about Piper, I never hear anything.", "I think you're just being dramatic, you obviously need to get laid.") Polly's room was on the other side of the apartment. Piper gave up the argument about forty three seconds in.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh... _Alex_!" Tonight's particularly shrill voice screamed. Piper buried her face in her hands.

This was getting out of hand. She needed to say something. She was beginning to worry she wouldn't pass the semester.

She was pounding against the wall before she knew what she was doing.

"Could. You. Please. Shut. The Fuck. _UP_!"

Silence. One brief, achingly beautiful moment of silence.

Piper almost dared to believe it'd be as simple as that before a loud laugh rang out.

The noises picked back up.

Her head fell to her books.

.

So she did her best to live with it.

.

She lasted three weeks.

Three weeks of loud, raucous, primal _fucking_.

Three weeks of shrill, ear splitting, delighted _screams_.

And three weeks of Piper Chapman barely resisting the urge to tear all her hair out.

The inevitable downfall had begun at 8 AM, when Piper's alarm clock failed to wake her up for her first class.

The screaming began at 8:47, jarring Piper from sleep and into the bad mood that would cloud her every action for the remainder of the day. She had 13 minutes to make it to class. Her foul mood intensified.

The rest of the day had gone downhill from there and by the time Piper stumbled back into her apartment at three in the afternoon a new voice had begun screaming 'Alex's' name. Piper _tried_ to unclot the black cloud hanging over her head. She really did. She attempted a nap, settled for a run, and returned to what _couldn't_ _possibly_ be _louder_ animalistic screaming (but every fiber of Piper's being was insisting it somehow _was_).

She'd been attempting to write a paper for the class she'd stumbled 20 minutes late to when something inside her finally snapped.

She was out the door and into the hallway before her tired mind could process what was happening.

Her fist collided with her neighbor's door with more force than she'd ever felt her small frame give to anything.

"HEY. ASSHOLE. I AM RUNNING ON THREE HOURS OF SLEEP. I HAVE A FUCKING PAPER DUE IN FOUR HOURS, AND I HAVE FUCKING _HAD IT_ WITH YOUR ENDLESS CYCLE OF SHRILL SCREAMING WOMEN, IF YOU DON'T FUCKING KEEP IT DOWN I AM GOING TO-"

The door swung open. The rest of her thoughts died on her lips.

A tall dark haired woman stood in the doorway, eyebrows furrowing briefly before evening out as a slow smirk worked it's way across her lips as she studied Piper.

"Ah. You must be the wall pounder. You know, if you wanted to join all you had to do was ask."

"I..." Piper faltered, as she eyed the other woman leaning against the doorjamb.

She definitely wasn't a student. She looked a good few years older than Piper and way past college dazed as far as worldly presence. She was tall. Taller than Piper, which didn't happen all too often. She wore dark glasses and a thin black robe. Silk. Piper noted absently. Long creamy thighs stretched deliciously out of it and Piper found her eyes trailing up them before she could help herself. The robe was cinched at the waist, though not tightly, as a fair amount of cleavage all but spilled through the deep V parting. A dark eyebrow cocked gleefully and a set of sharp white teeth flashed wickedly as she took notice of Piper's unsubtle inspection.

"Look." She collected herself upon meeting the older woman's gaze, she could feel her cheeks tinging pink. "Could you just tell Alex to _please_ keep it down with the sex. I have a huge fucking essay due and I'm falling behind in _more than one_ of my classes and I can't ever get _any_ studying done anymore through the loud ridiculous amount of sex he is _constantly_ having."

A loud amused laugh barked from the woman's lungs as Piper finished her defeated tirade. Piper eyed her wearily, bristling.

"Sure, kid. I'll let Alex know."

She continued to smirk in unabashed amusement as if she was in on some joke Piper was not privy to. She narrowed her eyes at the woman in exhausted suspicion before finally turning to leave. She'd taken a single step back towards her own apartment before hesitating and whipping back around to face the grinning woman.

"No. You know what, _no_. I'm fucking serious, I'm _done_. I can't allow this to continue, something has got to change or I am going to involve the landlord. I _need_ to speak to Alex, because this has gone too fucking far and I'm fucking tired and I'm _done_. I'm done. I'm _pissed_. Let me talk to Alex. I can't fucking do this anymore I can't just fucking _pretend_ everything is okay because it's _not_ and he isn't the only person who lives in this building and he is being a _fucking_ asshole! Let me talk to Alex!"

She'd begun striding back towards the woman as she'd started speaking and now stood face to face with her, breathing heavily. They eyed each other in silence, the amused expression previously adorning the older woman's face fading into a quieter more restrained sort of amused contemplation as she studied the blonde before her.

"Well!?" Piper huffed.

"Well what?" She returned, eyes darting back and forth between Piper's own.

"Can I fucking speak to Alex!?"

Her lips tipped in the slightest of gleeful smiles before falling back into her mask of gently amused contemplation. "You are."

"I-... what?" Piper spluttered, suddenly thrown.

"I'm Alex." The brunette murmured, smirking at Piper's fumbling.

"Y... _You're Alex_?"

The brunette chuckled softly, eyes alight with a fanciful sort of glee Piper couldn't quite place. "What's the matter, kid? Cat got your tongue? Where'd all that burning fire that was under your ass just a minute ago go?"

"_Fuck you_." Piper growled. Her hands fisted tightly at her sides, arms twitching with the barely restrained urge to _shove_ this woman. Alex eyed her quivering arms with a raised brow before flicking her eyes back to Piper's face. The fight trickled out of her all at once. Her shoulders slumped. She was never going to win. Not when Alex kept looking at her like she was the most amusing thing that's happened to her all day. Her voice was soft with defeat as her hands unclenched. "You have been making my life a living _hell_ for the past several months. Seriously. Fuck you."

Alex's amused gaze softened slightly as Piper turned to leave. "_Kid_." She called with a barely contained groan. Piper debated with herself before settling for a half turn to face the woman. "All you had to do was ask." Alex smiled. A genuine one. For once.

Piper continued to eye her wearily before turning back towards her own apartment once more. "Thanks."

As she tiredly closed the door to her home she vaguely noted the soft exhale of a heavy sigh from down the hall.

.

Things actually seemed to get better for awhile.

Alex was visited by the occasional heavy screamer, but she always made sure things were quiet by midnight and began no earlier than noon.

Piper's thoughts had trailed to the mysterious woman several times since their confrontation. Maybe she'd been too hard on her (or maybe if she hadn't been as hard as she _was_ Alex would still be churning through overly vocal sexual partners like a goddamn sex factory). She told herself it wasn't that she _missed_ the telltale signs of Alex's presence in the building, but it was certainly _strange_ living in this new silence. Almost... empty somehow.

She found herself pausing outside her door one day, on the way back from class. Her keys dangling from her hand, poised and ready to enter the lock. But her gaze had slid to Alex's door. In the absence of the sex she could now occasionally hear the muffled sounds of Alex's day to day life. It was almost nice in a way (though anything was nicer than a constant trumpet of sexual screams), knowing Alex was just through the wall singing softly to herself or laughing at whatever stupid show was currently drifting from her TV.

She hadn't heard her much in the past few weeks though. And now, come to think of it, as she stood outside her door like some sort of idiot, keys in hand, yet making no move to actually unlock the door and go inside, Piper realized she hadn't heard Alex at _all_ in the past two weeks. She continued to gaze in silence at Alex's door, an internal debate warring inside her, before flicking her gaze to her own door and palming her keys.

Her eyes flicked down the hall as she tentatively stepped from her own door and slowly towards Alex's.

_Just to see if she's actually in there_. She told herself. _Just to make sure she's okay_.

She crept silently to Alex's door, pausing as the tips of her converse sneakers just barely brushed against it. Another quick gaze down the hall before slowly leaning her ear against the cold door.

_Silence_.

She squinted in concentration, squeezing her eyes shut, straining her ears for _any_ hint of sound.

"What're you doing?"

She'd nearly jumped out of her skin.

Alex stood behind her with a wry smile stretching across her lips. Fuck. She was leaning against the Bannister of the stairs as she watched the blonde with a wicked sort of amusement. Piper begged the ground to swallow her.

"I was just... I wanted to check- I haven't heard... I thought maybe... you..." She fumbled for an explanation as Alex's smirk turned into a full on grin. "You've been so quiet lately." She finished lamely.

Alex watched her silently for a moment longer, enjoying the way the girl squirmed as she waited for her reaction. "That's because I was out of the country."

Piper's eyes now dropped to take in the suitcase at Alex's feet. The duffle bag hanging from her shoulder. Oh.

"Oh."

A husky chuckle fell from Alex's lips as she hefted the bag further over her shoulder, leaning down to retrieve the case at her feet. "Did you miss me?" She cooed teasingly.

"What?" Piper fumbled. "No, I- Of course not! Like I said I was just... worried that you..." She sighed in frustration. "Never mind. Welcome back."

Alex's arm shot out as she moved to push past her, intent on finally slipping into her own apartment and away from the woman's infuriatingly amused gaze.

"Hold on." She purred, eyeing Piper intently. "I just got back, you know."

"Yeah?" Piper murmured wearily.

"Yeah. So I don't exactly have anything lined up for tonight." Her blue-green gaze pierced into Piper's. "If you know what I mean."

Piper's eyes narrowed as she tensed under the older woman's touch. Alex's face was alight with mischief, but there was a small flicker of something else Piper couldn't quite place dancing just under the surface.

"You wouldn't wanna come in and keep me company, would you?"

Piper's heart started racing with such fervor that she could swear Alex must be able to feel it through her own palm still resting lightly against her. She told herself it had absolutely nothing to do with Alex's astoundingly attractive face, or incredibly alluring charm, or ridiculously enticing mystery. No. It was _absolutely_ because she was being propositioned by a woman she barely more than _hates_ in the dirty hallway of their shared apartment complex. Completely. 100%. No other explanation.

Wiping the initial shock from her face, she schooled her features back into a blank canvas. "No thanks. I've got a paper on Women's Studies due tomorrow."

"I can teach you a thing or two about _women's studies_." Alex all but whispered (and Piper definitely did _not_ all but swoon). "I find a hands on approach is often the best way to learn."

Piper inhaled sharply, her eyes fluttering closed for half a second as she stepped back from Alex's overwhelming presence before she did something rash. "I'll pass."

She silently congratulated herself as she pushed past the older woman (and the quietly shocked, yet still somehow amused look on her face) and _finally_ slipped inside her own apartment, Alex's soft chuckle drifting through the hallway as she closed the door.

Piper tried not to think too much about it when she heard a muffled stream of moaning start up through the walls several hours later.

(And she _definitely_ didn't let her thoughts linger on the fact that Alex was absolutely alone on the other side of the wall.)

.

She'd only seen Alex a handful of times (all fleeting glances) since her propositioning in the hallway a month ago.

She'd managed to push the woman out of her mind for the time being and was content to continue with this Alex-free line of thinking. Finals were coming up and she definitely didn't need the distractions.

Polly however didn't seem to get the memo.

She was once again trying to finish a paper for a teacher that expected it the following morning when Polly brought up the party she'd _forgotten to mention_ earlier in the week. After much whining (on both sides) She told Piper it'd probably just be a handful of people anyway, no big thing.

Polly's idea of no big thing and Piper's idea of no big thing were two drastically different ideas of no big thing.

She'd lasted all of three hours before finally storming out of the apartment with her laptop. She ended up no further than the hallway (the library was too far, it was way too late, and she didn't really feel like going anywhere else in pajamas).

She knocked her head against the wall behind her with a soft thud as she rubbed her eyes tiredly against the heels of her hands. She'd been sitting in the hallway attempting to finish this paper for an hour now and was close to giving up, laying down, and crying. She was on the verge of a breakdown when a low husky voice drawled out from the end of the stairwell.

"We have got to stop meeting like this." _Alex._ Letting her hands fall to her lap in defeat she peered tiredly at the older woman, once again leaning smugly against the banister. Alex's eyes flicked to the wall behind her before returning to meet Piper's, and her brows furrowed in confusion as she turned to see what the older woman had glanced at. Oh.

At some point her frustrated shifting and desire to distance herself from the raucous of her own home had moved her closer to Alex's apartment door than her own. Much closer. _Her back was leaning slightly against the door frame_ closer.

"Sorry." She muttered. "I'll move."

Alex's ever present amused grin faded as she watched the girl before her. She enjoyed pushing the kid's buttons but she'd never seen her so tired and _beaten_ looking. Her gaze flicked to the door closest to her, taking note of the steady thumping of a muffled bass drifting through it.

She nodded towards the door once as her gaze returned to Piper. "Holly throwing some sort of rager?"

"Yeah." Piper murmured, too tired to correct her mispronunciation of her friend's name. "And she neglected to tell me about in until an hour before it started. So. It's not like I really had the chance to prepare any sort of plan B."

"Hence the hallway?" Alex asked softly.

"Hence the hallway." Piper confirmed. A sigh. "This paper is due in six hours. I'm so _fucked_."

Alex cast a quick look around the hallway before making her way towards her door with a sigh.

"C'mon kid." She mumbled, pulling out her keys and unlocking her door. Piper shot her a startled and weary glance, shuffling away from the opening door. "Hey, I promise, no funny business. You really look like you could use something a little more comfortable than a dingy apartment hallway. And... I still kinda owe you for being the reason you're probably behind in your classes to begin with."

"No funny business?" Piper eyed her through narrowed slits.

"Scout's honor." Alex smiled.

The tired girl hefted herself to her feet slowly, shrugging her shoulders as she adjusted her hold on her laptop. "I doubt you're a scout." She mumbled petulantly as she slipped past the door Alex held open for her. And that ever present smirk slid across those enticing lips once more as she moved to follow the tired blonde into her apartment.

.

Alex had proved to be surprisingly pleasant paper-writing company.

All suggestive jokes and teasing comments aside she really did know a thing or two about Women's Studies that Piper found extremely helpful to her overall essay. She'd provided a steady flow of coffee and the occasional thoughtful insight and Piper was just finishing up her last paragraph as Alex reentered the living room with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. She set one down in front of Piper on the coffee table before sinking into the couch beside her with long low sigh.

"And... done." Piper chimed, with a flick of her wrists. "Oh my god. I'm done. I did it. I might actually manage to pass this class."

Alex smiled her amused smile at her from the end of the couch, though it was a great deal warmer this time. A soft sort of affection shining through.

"Congratulations, kid. What are you going to do now?" She teased in a low voice.

"Mmm..." Piper hummed tiredly with a laugh. "I'd say I'm going to Disney World but honestly I don't think I'd make it further than the hallway before collapsing."

Alex laughed softly and Piper took notice of the mug of hot chocolate before her, leaning down to swap it's place on the table with her laptop and bringing the mug to her lips with a satisfied hum. A chorus of cheers drifted through the wall to them and Piper rolled her eyes with a groan.

"Ugh. Are they _still_ going?"

"Mm. Yep." Alex murmured, taking another sip of her drink.

"I am going to murder Polly so hard once I've had enough sleep to _properly_ plan her murder."

Alex watched her thoughtfully. "You gonna head back?"

"I should." Piper murmured, eyes scanning the apartment before falling upon Alex. "I honestly cannot thank you enough for this. Seriously. You've been so..." She shook her head, unable to find the words, "and I'm the last person who deserves any sort of hospitality from you but you've been so _good_ to me tonight. _Thank you_."

"Yeah well," Alex murmured. "We both got off to kind of a shitty start."

They sat in silence, watching each other for a moment.

"Can I ask you something before I go?" Piper asked softly. "Like something..." She trailed off, once more unable to find the words. (_Personal? Weird? Potentially uncomfortable?_)

Alex's eyebrow rose gently. "Sure, kid."

"That night you... propositioned me. In the hallway..."

"Yeah." Alex prompted with a smile.

"After I turned you down and we both went out separate ways... was that... were you... did you _want_ me to hear that?"

Alex's eyes darkened as she met Piper's gaze head on. "_Yes_."

Piper swallowed heavily, she could feel her heart rate picking up, her pupils dilating. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper when it came out. "Why?"

"Because I wanted you to know what you were missing." Alex's voice lowered to match Piper's. "And I wanted you to think about what you'd forced yourself to turn down." She leaned closer to Piper with every soft, sharp word. "_And I wanted you to know that I was thinking about it too_."

Piper's eyes fluttered, her heart pounding in her ears, as her gaze dropped to Alex's lips before jumping back up to her smoldering gaze.

"Don't go." Alex murmured (all but purred) (demanded) (_begged_). "I meant it. When I invited you over that night. I haven't stopped thinking about you since you nearly broke down my door several months ago."

"Me either." Piper whispered.

.

Their lips met feverishly as they both moved towards each other at once and Piper gasped softly as Alex's chest collided against her own before shifting to pull the younger girl onto her lap. Her legs fell open around Alex's thighs as she straddled her, knees digging into the cushions of the couch. They leaned into and away from each other in a steady pulse, like crashing waves. One of Alex's hands had moved to grasp the back of Piper's neck as the other gripped possessively against her hip.

"_Alex_." Piper gasped softly as their lips broke apart.

Alex shifted her higher against herself, pushing their heaving chests together once more as she recaptured Piper's lips. The hand that had been holding her waist released it's vice-like grip to slide slowly up the underside of Piper's t-shirt. She grinned against Piper's mouth as she tweaked at a nipple, causing the younger girl to arch violently against her with a strangled moan.

"_Lemme teach you a thing or two about women's studies_." Alex whispered hotly against Piper's gasping lips.

Her shirt was ripped over her head and before Piper could properly realize what was happening Alex hoisted them off the couch. Her palms wrapped firmly around Piper's thighs, just below her ass, fingers digging delectably into her quivering muscles. Piper's legs wound tightly around Alex's hips as she carried her several steps across the room to her small kitchen table. She released one of Piper's thighs to sweep a hand across the top of the table, scattering the various papers, folders, other temporarily unimportant things across the floor. Piper barely noticed the small drop to the table as Alex laid her out before her. Her back arched at the contact of the cold tabletop against her heated skin, her chest thrusting upwards towards Alex's waiting mouth as she came down to meet her.

"Lesson number one." Alex murmured harshly around one of Piper's aching nipples, teeth grazing the straining bud_ just_ slightly. "The female orgasm."

Piper couldn't stop the noise that exploded from her lungs as Alex wrapped her lips fully around the small peak and _sucked_. She writhed underneath Alex's talented mouth as the woman kept her straddling the line between pleasure and pain. Her ministrations were forceful but not invasively so, and Piper felt a rush of heat exploding through her lower abdomen as Alex sucked insistently at her chest. Another grin stole across her wicked lips as noises continued to force their way out of Piper's heaving lungs, and Piper could feel it in the brush of teeth against her sensitive nipple once again.

She pulled her mouth from Piper's chest and attached her lips to the pulse point of her neck as her hands squeezed Piper's hips before pulling her further down the table. Piper's hands fisted against the material of Alex's shirt and she tugged roughly, dislodging Alex from her neck as she pulled the obstructive garment off the brunette's heated body. Alex returned to the bruise she had been painting across Piper's neck as the blonde busied herself with ridding the older woman of her bra.

Her own taut nipples grazed the skin of Piper's stomach as the blonde's hips rolled under her in her quest to discard Alex's bra and Alex bit back a moan. Detaching herself from Piper's neck and the slowly flowering bruise she'd left upon it, Alex dove for Piper's lips once more. Their mouths moved hungrily against each other and Alex took advantage of Piper's temporary distraction to swiftly rid her of her pants and underwear, tossing them somewhere to the floor behind her.

Kissing a blazing trail down Piper's squirming body, Alex hoisted one of the girl's quaking thighs over her shoulder. Their eyes met briefly as Alex's free hand wrapped itself around Piper's hips once more and the burning look in the blonde's sapphire gaze nearly did her in right there. Piper's head fell against the table with a slam and she cried out loudly at the first touch of Alex's mouth against her heat, her tongue working through Piper's folds as Piper's cries grew louder.

Alex played her like a symphony working her higher and higher to crescendo and when Piper finally came with a final shout Alex laughed out loud.

.

"You're good at that." Piper gasped, trying to catch her breath as Alex climbed lazily back up her body several hours later. They were in her bed now, having exhausted almost every conceivable surface of the apartment in their cacophonous exploration of each other's bodies.

"I told you I knew a thing or two about women's studies." The brunette grinned.

"Yeah..." They fell silent, the soft sounds of their heavy breathing filling the room. "So what else do you know?"

And Piper found the wicked grin of amusement that curled across Alex's mouth as she rolled on top of her to be her most enticing grin yet.

.

She came seven times that night, and managed to scream out Alex's name _at least_ once during each of them.

She'd eventually managed to escape from Alex's apartment (after one final morning rendezvous in Alex's shower) with the promise of more 'women's studies' lessons in the immediate future and a lingering kiss in Alex's open doorway. Smiling softly to herself as she slipped silently into her bedroom before Polly could take note of her absence.

"You were totally right, by the way." Polly grumbled later when they both finally emerged into the kitchen. "The woman in the next apartment must be some sort of sex _maniac_. Her partner's screams were echoing through the walls for _hours_! We could barely turn the music loud enough to cover them."

"Oh Polly." Piper murmured, bringing her mug of coffee to her lips to mask her growing smile. "Don't be so dramatic."

* * *

><p>Someone asked me in the last chapter about a tumblr account, and I <em>did<em> finally create a public tumblr account under the same name. I haven't really used it much accept to sort of collect inspiration but you're welcome to check it out or message me there any time.


	10. Chapter 10

_(Imagine Person A of your OTP constantly annoying person B while they're having art class, and Person B gets mad and throws a bottle of paint at Person A. It results in a paint fight with the whole class joining in. The teacher finds out who started the fight and sends your OTP to detention. In detention, Person B tells Person A: 'You're the most beautiful painting I have ever seen.')_

* * *

><p>Alex Vause had been a nuisance since day one.<p>

Piper had seen her around school several times before. Brief glances. The occasional brushing in the hallway. A glimpse of her on the bleachers as she made her way around the track below. She'd seen her around. She was almost sort of intrigued by her, if she was being honest. She was somewhat of an outcast and Polly had told her that there were a _plethora_ of rumors about what kind of person she was, what kind of life she led, what she did outside of school. So sure, Piper couldn't help but feel a little curious. (It also didn't hurt that she was drop dead gorgeous, but Piper tried not to focus too hard on that particular line of thought.)

That was before she actually _met_ her.

Alex Vause was a year ahead of her and so they'd successfully managed to avoid having any classes together up until this point. But Alex was a senior and had put off taking an art elective until the last possible minute, and Piper was a junior who couldn't get into the theater elective due to more of the seniors schedules taking priority, and so somehow they'd ended up in the same art class.

Alex had immediately zoned in on Piper.

Piper wasn't sure if it was her WASPy disposition, or her teachers pet reputation, or the fact that she sometimes kept company with girls who were widely hailed as _Alex Vause's enemies_, but _something_ about her had caught Alex's attention and it wasn't in the good way. They'd been assigned to a pair of desks parallel to each other at the ends of two long rows.

It had taken Alex all of four minutes to begin her harassment.

Piper had taken out her notebook to begin taking notes and Alex had snickered.

"What?" She demanded self consciously.

"You're taking notes in _art class_?" Alex laughed.

"Well there _are_ tests."

"Do you really think they're going to be so challenging that you need to have _notes_ to fall back on." Alex mused dryly.

"It never hurts to be prepared." She growled.

"Yeah. That's what I've heard about you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper's interest peaked slightly. Alex Vause had heard of her?

"Nothing." Alex laughed shaking her, attention turning back to the teacher.

Piper scowled at the older girl's mocking demeanor. She watched her heatedly for a moment before returning to her notes.

.

It continued like this for awhile. Alex making snippy comments about Piper's habits, teasing her with lazy observations and judgmental opinions. Piper, for the most part tried to ignore her, though occasionally couldn't help snipping back. It only ever seemed to amuse Alex further when she did.

Eventually Alex must have decided her verbal harassment wasn't enough. It didn't take long for their picking to develop into actual arguments. Alex would amble into class, drop into her desk, and absentmindedly prop her feet up on the side of Piper's seat. Piper would push her feet away with a huff and a grumble and Alex would eventually slide them back into place several minutes later. Thus carrying on in a vicious (slowly growing more and more aggressive as class wore on) cycle.

And as if _that_ wasn't enough, Alex had _then_ taken to making sure she was using anything and everything Piper needed whenever she needed it. Piper would rise from her seat, about to move across the room to collect a box of charcoal for her sketch and Alex's hand would be sliding over top of it right before she could grab it. She'd reach out absently for a jar of paint, looking up in confusion as her hand met with empty air, only to find Alex clutching it with a smirk. She'd stick a paint brush back into the cup, about to select a new one when Alex, without fail, every time, would grab _exactly_ the one she needed.

Piper had always prided herself on being someone who was in control, but Alex Vause was slowly starting to unravel that control.

And Piper Chapman was slowly starting to learn that she _may_ have a bit of a temper.

.

She'd been having an especially rough day already when day Alex decided to push her to her limit.

Her alarm had failed to go off and she'd nearly been late for school. Her mother had scolded her for not being better prepared as she rushed out the door. She'd gotten a test back with a B- written across the top in large, angry, red letters. Polly had been nitpicking at her for the smallest things all day. Tommy Anderson had called her a teacher's pet in Biology when the teacher asked her to explain to the rest of the class something that no one else seemed to fully yet grasp. And she'd spilled her drink all over herself during lunch and spent half the period trying to clean her shirt under the air dryers in the girls bathroom.

And then Alex Vause had ambled into art class.

She'd been in especially fine form today. Teasing Piper endlessly about _everything_. It wasn't until she made a comment about _Perfect Piper_ that hit a _little_ too close to home when Piper lost it. The teacher had stepped out of the room for a moment and Alex had immediately taken her opportunity to unabashedly get under the younger girl's skin.

She couldn't help it. She snapped.

Grabbing the nearest object, she hurled it across the desk at the older girl. Alex froze in momentary shock as the bottle of electric blue paint collided with her collar bone, splattering a vibrant layer of color across her. Blue paint dripped from the lens of her glasses, ran in thick lines down her neck, and spread slowly across the white of her shirt. Piper froze too. The room fell silent.

"Oh-ho..." Alex laughed dangerously, and Piper found herself tensing in equal parts fear and anticipation. "You are _so_ going to regret that."

Before Piper could recover from her own initial shock a wave of yellow crashed over her. She shrieked, standing abruptly from her chair as the dripping paint container dropped to the floor, now mostly empty, it's contents spread marvelously across Piper's outfit and face. Her temper swiftly took control and before she could process what she was doing she hurled another bottle at the now grinning Alex.

Alex cried out in muffled shock as a hue of green mixed with a spraying splash against the blue already coating her, shooting up from her own seat.

"PAINT FIGHT!" Someone suddenly screamed out and paint began flying in all directions.

Piper, however, took no notice as her attention remained on Alex. A clap of red splatted across her and her temper flared to the same shade as Alex Vause laughed at her handy work. She began hurling every bottle of colored goo she could get her hands on at the laughing brunette as Alex returned the favor in full. They were slipping against the rapidly coating floor in their haste for more ammunition and their bodies collided as they reached quickly for the same bottle. Piper kept her footing, Alex didn't. But she managed to hook her hands against the material of Piper's shirt as her feet slid out from under her and they both went crashing to the ground.

At some point (Piper wasn't sure when) she had begun to laugh. Alex groaned lightly before bursting into another round of laughter and neither of them paid any mind to the fact that they were practically laying on top of each other as they dissolved into a fit of giggles amid the puddles of paint on the floor. It didn't last long though.

"_WHO is responsible for this_!?" A loud voice suddenly bellowed from the doorway. Shit.

Alex and Piper froze as forty pairs of eyes slowly turned to locate them.

"Principal's office. _NOW_!"

.

They fidgeted silently before their principal, somehow finding the grace to look repentant, as he scolded them both for their less than amicable behavior. He released them to detention with a sigh before calling out to Piper as they made for the door. Alex paused with her momentarily as she turned back to face him.

"I expected better from you." He said. And the smile that had been alight at the corner of Piper's eyes finally faded.

She nodded slowly, ducking her head and slipping out behind Alex as they exited the room in silence.

.

The teacher sat with them for all of twelve minutes before making some excuse about copies (interspersed with a light forewarning about talking and staying in their seats) and slipping away to the teachers lounge.

Piper kept her head down, studying the cracking paint on her hands in silence. Alex watched her thoughtfully, mind churning with the principal's parting words and the way that grin she had worked so hard to pull from Piper's eyes faded away quietly.

"Sorry about tarnishing your record, kid."

Piper picked absently at the paint on her hands, nodding. There was a foreign tenderness to Alex's voice, as if for once in her life she meant it and wasn't just mocking Piper's uncontrollable need to be perfect.

"Listen." Alex began, somewhat hesitantly. As if she were a traveler about to enter foreign territory. "I know I give you a lot of shit for being a goody two shoes, or whatever... but I really am sorry. I know it means a lot to you. Your reputation. I didn't mean to fuck that up."

"It's not your fault." Piper murmured softly, finally engaging, and Alex lifted her head to watch her once more. "I'm the one who started it. I threw first paint."

Alex huffed out a quiet laugh, as Piper's gaze rose to meet her own, the faintest beginnings of a smile touching her lips once more before fading away again.

"I just..." She sighed, returning her attention to hands.

Alex watched her silently a moment longer before leaning forward and placing her hand under the younger girl's chin. "Hey."

Piper's gaze quickly flicked back to her and their eyes locked. Alex's thumb stroked lightly against a swatch of red on her jaw as they studied each other. Her blue eyes shown with something soft and gentle and Alex found herself absolutely enraptured by it as she held Piper's face in her hand.

"I think you're the most beautiful painting I've ever seen." She whispered softly, watching closely the faint light in Piper's gaze.

The younger girl's lips parted slightly, her eyebrows rising imperceptibly in soft shock at Alex's hushed words, and Alex couldn't help herself leaning forward and capturing that soft mouth in a gentle kiss. Piper's eyes fell closed. It was brief, nothing more than a gentle caress of lips, before Alex was pulling away to rest their foreheads together.

"I think... you might be the most beautiful painting I've ever seen too." Piper murmured softly.

Their eyes opened and their gazes met once more, and Alex found herself smiling a genuine smile as Piper's face slowly lit up once again with that soft glowing happiness. And she quietly corrected herself, deciding that _now_ Piper Chapman was _undoubtedly_ the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

* * *

><p>A short one. I just needed to write something.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**based loosely on:**_ (Imagine your OTP in a world where if your soulmate is harmed in any way, you get harmed in the same way. Person A cuts themselves, believing they'll never find their soulmate. Person B finds marks all over their arms and panics in the realization that their soulmate is cutting themselves. What happens beyond there is up to you.)_

* * *

><p>She's self destructive. She's always been.<p>

Though it never manifested physically until Tiffany Doggett told her she wasn't worthy of anyone's love.

She was the type of person to go out and get blind drunk and follow someone she barely knew home. The type of person who'd crawl from a strange bed before the sun could rise, amid a raging hangover, and slip quietly back into the night before the other occupant could catch her presence (before she could turn and glance at them herself, because she could better convince herself they weren't real if she never looked). She had her own collection of hazy nights, blurred encounters, forgotten chunks of memories, and discarded bed mates. And it had been enough. Until Tiffany Doggett.

The first time Piper Chapman indirectly destroyed herself had been both terrifying and exhilarating. Tiffany's bleeding face contorting painfully under the blows of her rawing fists. Tiffany's weak and gnarly teeth scattering across the snow amid the spraying blood, embedding themselves in Piper's slowly reddening knuckles. Tiffany's gurgled words dying softly under the heavy thud, thud, thud, of Piper's relentless blows.

She'd been expelled from boarding school that day.

And maybe somewhere along the line she'd begun to believe Tiffany was right.

(She was just never sure if it had been something she'd known all along or something Tiffany finally helped her realize.)

She channeled her self destruction into physical outlets after that.

Sometimes she'd hit walls. Her fist connecting with the solidity of the wall with a satisfying crack as her knuckles threaten to break, smears of blood growing more pronounced against the bland brick as she continues to drive her fist against it again and again and again. Sometimes she'd hit punching bags. A smile flitting across her face as it sways backwards, recoiling from her attack, recoiling from her power, recoiling from her _presence_. Sometimes she'd hit people. Bruises flowering across the faces of now former lovers, noses crunching satisfyingly as hopeful suitors jerk away with shocked exclamations, and Tiffany Doggett's face swimming before her eyes as she hits and hits and hits until once again Piper Chapman is _alone_.

The scars on her knuckles split open sometimes and she eyes them idly in the aftermath of her implosion. _If I had a soulmate they'd be looking at these same knuckles_. But Piper knows she doesn't. Because Piper's not worthy of anyone's love.

She meets Alex by mistake. Or by chance. Depending on how you look at it. Depending on who you ask.

She's in a bar nursing her fourth drink (_fifth? sixth?_), lazily debating whether or not she'd spend the night in her own bed or someone else's when he approaches. This man. This man who's been eyeing her all night. This man who she'd written off an hour ago and yet here he stands, before her once again. She doesn't listen to what he says. She's heard it all already. She's already passed her judgement on him. But he continues on anyway, eventually dropping a palm to her arm. She tenses under his grip and he tightens it slightly. He's attempting to ease her out of her seat and her knuckles are slowly curling into fists when _she_ appears.

"There a problem here?" She asks smoothly, placing herself between Piper and the man. Allowing Piper a moment to catch her breath, relax her muscles, soothe her anger. She doesn't catch the rest of the conversation just knows that the man is soon walking away and _she_ is turning to face her.

"Sorry about that," she husks warmly, "you looked like you could use a hand."

"Thanks." Piper slurs. She moves to pull herself from her seat, stumbling slightly in the process and _her_ hand darts out to steady her.

"Woah there, you okay?"

And Piper eyes her a moment. She'd settled for spending the night in her own bed the moment that man's palm landed on her arm, but now she's reconsidering as she studies the tall brunette.

"Yeah. Thanks." She straightens. Meets her eyes. Turns on the charm. "What's you name?"

The brunette's eyebrow raises, a smirk tugs at her lips. "My name's Alex."

"Piper."

"Well, Piper..." Alex chuckles warmly and Piper leans a little closer. "I think maybe we should get you a cab."

"Mmmm..." Piper hums giddily as Alex leads them from the crowded bar.

It doesn't take long for the cab to arrive and Alex settles her in before withdrawing. Piper grabs her jacket as she moves to retreat. "Wait. Aren't you coming with me?"

Alex regards her thoughtfully for a moment. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer, you are somewhat wasted and I'd be no better than the asshole I just pulled off you if I did."

"But I want you to." Piper murmurs, leaning into her once again. And Alex sighs softly. "You have to at least see me home."

She relents, casting a gaze around the empty sidewalk before climbing in behind her. And maybe she was right and Piper's drunker than she thought, because she's curling against the woman before she can stop herself. Her head falling to Alex's shoulder. And Alex lifts a hand to run gently through her hair. They're silent as the city passes on around them. Eventually Piper shifts and her hand falls against Alex's lap, brushes against her thigh. Alex's gaze tracks it, and her free hand rises to capture it.

Alex's breath catches in her throat when she catches a glimpse of Piper's knuckles. Piper mistakes it for shock. Fear. _Disgust_. She pulls her hand back, tugs the sleeves of her shirt over them. But Alex catches her wrists. Stills her hands. Traces her scars.

"_It's you_." She whispers softly, breathlessly, and Piper tenses under her gaze, under her grip.

"_Don't_." Piper warns quietly, snatching her hand back. And Alex catches her again as she tries to retreat.

"_Piper_." Awe.

And Piper begins to tremble, her knuckles itch to become fists. Alex's eyes rise to meet hers and it's more than she can take.

"Stop the car." She's quiet at first, barely restrained emotions warring under her skin, under Alex's gaze.

"What? The cab driver asks. They're still several blocks from her apartment.

"STOP THE CAR."

He pulls over abruptly at her outburst and she hurls herself from the car before it's even fully stopped. She's halfway down the block before Alex catches up with her once more. She's calling her name. Piper keeps walking. She grabs her wrist. Piper spins, fist poised, and Alex retreats, hands raised in silent surrender.

"_Piper_." She pushes. _Pleads_.

"_What?_" Piper hisses.

"You're... I... you're my soulmate." She stutters.

Piper freezes, eyeing her angrily. (_She's mocking me. How dare she. After all she's done tonight._) "I don't have a soultmate."

"Piper." She takes a step forward, Piper's fists clench, she stops. "_Look_."

She lowers her hands, rolls up her sleeves, presents her knuckles. Scarred. _Familiar_.

And Piper falters. Shakes her head. Steps back.

"No. I-" Her eyes dart around helplessly. She's drunk. It's late. She's confused. Alex is wrong. She must be. She doesn't have a soulmate. "Leave me alone."

She turns to leave, she needs to get home, she needs to bury herself in her bed, she needs to _forget_. This night. This woman. This bad dream.

But Alex is persistent, and she takes another step forward as Piper retreats. "Wait!" Piper pauses. "At least let me walk you home. I promised I'd see you home. At least let me keep my word."

Piper eyes her wearily, already knowing she's powerless to deny this woman.

"Fine." She turns again, begins walking toward her home. "But don't... touch me."

Alex follows.

She spends the night on Piper's couch.

It takes her awhile to trust Alex. Even longer to become comfortable with her. But Alex is patient. And Alex is kind.

She lets Piper set the pace. She lets Piper call the shots. She lets Piper decide when they've spent enough time together and when they need to see each other. She lets Piper decide what sort of relationship it's going to be, and gradually Piper begins to open up. They've known each other several months when Piper eventually self destructs once again. Alex had been out of town, a three day business trip, when the scars of her knuckles begin to split open.

She calls Piper immediately, excusing herself from the conversation, stepping away from the noise of the bar.

It takes seven tries before she finally gets an answer. A text message. One word. _Stop_.

Alex calls her forty seven times that night, before Piper finally answers. It's nearing three in the morning and she's all but called a taxi, prepared to end her trip early, prepared to travel through the night, prepared to scour the entire city in search of Piper Chapman.

She's taken aback at first, falters slightly as the repetitive ringing finally clicks away. Silence.

"_Piper_?" She whispers hesitantly, as if speaking too loudly, too suddenly might scare her off, sever their connection, as if she's some wild animal, apt to flee at any moment. "_Pipes_?"

A sigh. (And Alex releases a heavy breath from her own lungs.)

They sit in silence for a moment, Alex finally sinking to the bed. Her room is dark. She'd lost track of the time somewhere amid her haste to reach Piper. Her head hangs heavy as she runs a hand through her hair, the sounds of their soft breathing filling the silence. The only tell that they were both there, both connected, both _alive_.

"What happened?" Alex finally whispers. And Piper sighs again (heavier, wetter). "_Piper_." She pleads.

"_I'm sorry_." She finally whispers.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks desperately. Willing herself to remain calm, to stay gentle.

A soft rustle drifts down the line as Piper nods, remembers Alex can't see her, "_Yes_."

"I'm coming home." Alex murmurs.

"You can't."

"I am."

"Alex, you _can't_. You can't just drop everything because of me."

"_Piper_." She sighs heavily. Tiredly. "I'm not dropping everything. I'm done here. We closed the deal earlier tonight. I'm coming home."

They fell silent once more. Listening to the soft huffs of each other's breath.

"You can't coddle me, Alex." Piper eventually murmurs. "You can't put your life on hold every time I get hurt."

And Alex squeezes her eyes shut as she moves to recline against the bed. "But I can be there to stop it."

And Piper's voice is soft. "_You can't stop it_."

They listen to each other's breathing for awhile. In two separate beds, in two dark rooms, in two separate places. Eventually Piper speaks again.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?" Their voices barely more than whispers.

"Don't hang up."

"I won't, kid."

Eventually they fall asleep. The steady tide of one another's gentle breathing drifting softly through their ears.

And when Alex returns home her sleepovers no longer include sleeping on the couch.

And her visits to Piper's apartment become longer and longer stays.

And Piper's no longer sure that she can sleep without the steady tide of Alex's breathing anymore.

They're somewhere between six months and a year when Piper finally decides what she wants.

She'd had another meltdown. Alex had pulled her struggling from a bar, into a side alley, stood silently as she directed her rage against the brick of the next building. The wounds of their knuckles splitting open once again, trails of red running down their hands. Eventually Piper relents. Sinks against the still standing wall, her back turned to Alex.

"Are you done?" Alex murmurs quietly.

Silence.

Alex sighs softly, ready to wait for Piper to gather herself.

"Why do you do this?" Piper's voice is soft when she speaks. Barely audible over the hum of the city.

Alex eyes her confusedly. "Do what?"

"_This_. Why do you do it. Why do you put it up with it. Why do you put up with _me_?"

"I love you."

Piper stiffens against the wall. "No you don't."

"_Yes_, I _do_."

Her fists clench and her eyes squeeze shut and she can _feel_ Alex behind her and it reignites the burning anger she'd just tampered down.

She whirls to face the other woman.

"_No you don't_!"

"Yes I do, Piper." Exasperation. She's tired. But she reigns herself in. Her next words are gentler. "You're my soulmate."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are, why do you keep saying that?" She's struggling to keep her patience. But it's been nearly a year and she doesn't know what else to do to prove that she loves her. To prove that she means it. And it hurts like a bitch every time Piper denies it. Denies _her_.

"Because I don't have a soulmate! I'm not worthy of anyone's love!"

"What?" She's taken aback, she needs to pause, they need to reexamine that, but Piper's striding forward.

"You _insist_ on hanging around and pretending to care and saying you _love_ me, Alex, but you _don't_! You _don't_! And I'm tired of it. I'm tired of _you_. Leave me, the _fuck_, alone!" She shoves her.

Alex stumbles backward, shocked at Piper's sudden display of aggression. She'd seen her at her most violent but never directed at _her_.

She shoves her again and Alex's hands raise to grasp her arms. "_Stop it!_"

But Piper doesn't. She struggles harder against Alex's grip. Frees a fist. Slams it against Alex's jaw.

They fall apart abruptly, gasping.

It's silent as they stumble to opposite sides of the small alleyway. The only sounds the hum of the city around them and their heaving lungs as they attempt to recapture their breath. Alex rubs her jaw as she struggles to comprehend what just happened. Slowly she raises her gaze to the the other side of the alley where Piper stood, leaning against the wall. Her fingers tracing her own jaw lightly, a look of shocked confusion on her face. Alex pushes off her own wall, eyeing the blonde silently as she works through her shock. Faint beginnings of a bruise blossoming under her shaking fingers.

"I..."

Alex swallows heavily. Piper's gaze finally meets hers.

She waits.

Eventually Piper comes to her.

They travel back to Piper's apartment in silence. (But they haven't stopped touching since the alleyway.)

Piper had stepped into her arms, buried her face against Alex's neck. Alex had taken Piper's hand, led her quietly to the street. Piper had curled against her, dropped her head to Alex's shoulder as they settled into the taxi. And Alex had raised her hand, tangled her fingers through Piper's hair as the city passed by around them. They took their coats and shoes off silently at the door. Led one another down the hall to the bathroom. And Alex ran a bath as Piper stood behind her, her arms around her waist, face buried against the back of her neck.

Alex undressed her slowly, helping her gently into the tub, and Piper's hand remained fisted against Alex's forearm until she was sure she wasn't going to leave.

She bathed in silence. Alex washed her hair. Traced her neck. Kissed her shoulder.

Wrapped her in the biggest towel she had when she pulled her from the cooling water.

They made their way to the bedroom quietly, and curled into each other on the same pillow. Their faces inches apart. Piper nuzzled her face against Alex's, struggling to gain control of all the emotions threatening to overtake her for the last several hours. And Alex holds her.

It's late when they finally begin talking. The bedroom has grown dark. Alex had begun wondering if Piper had finally fallen to sleep when she speaks into the thick blanketing darkness.

"I thought that..." She falters. "I wasn't supposed to have a soulmate."

Alex tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, fingers lingering against her cheek. Her thumb brushes softly.

"_Why_ would you ever think that? _Who_ told you you weren't worthy of anyone's love?"

Piper's vision swims before her as she works to make out Alex's face in the darkness, drops her gaze to the hand curled under Alex's cheek.

Alex's thumb continues to trace against her face. "I meant it... when I said I loved you, Piper. I've been waiting for you my entire life. Every time a new scar wove across my knuckles. Every time those old wounds split open again. I'd _pray_ that you were okay. That you were safe. That you were aching for me as much as I was aching for you."

"But I've never felt _you_." Piper whispers hoarsely, eyes still tracing the scars of Alex's knuckles.

"Because I could never bring myself to inflict anymore harm on you than what you were already carrying." Alex whispers.

And Piper draws a shaky breath before pushing herself across the pillow and into Alex, capturing her lips with her own.

And Piper begins to cry.

And for the first time since Tiffany Doggett told her she wasn't worthy of anyone's love, Piper began to think that maybe she _is_.

* * *

><p>Because I have a thing for self destructive Piper. I didn't really intend for it to be this long and I wasn't even sure it was an idea I was going to complete and publish at all, but I started writing this three hours ago and it all just sort of came pouring out. (Also, the whole boarding school"unworthy of love"/fight scenario of Piper's past features in another, longer story I'm working on and it somehow worked it's way into this one before I could stop it. So this is a preemptive warning if you happen to recognize that plot detail in something else I write somewhere down the line and want to accuse me of being lazy and uncreative. It's fine. You're completely allowed to.) **/** I also want you guys to know that I've just finished rereading through all your comments and reviews and they absolutely slay me. Seriously, thank you so much for the continued support and the enthusiastic reviews. They never fail to make me grin like an idiot.


	12. Chapter 12

_(Imagine your OTP going skinny dipping at night, Person A is uncomfortable with that idea though because 1.) What if someone caught them? and 2.) They don't feel like drowning. Person B proceeds to take off their clothes with a little sway of their hips etc. to change Person A's mind.)_

* * *

><p>"Alex!" Piper hissed.<p>

The brunette paid her no attention, simply volleyed herself over the fence and continued on her journey.

Piper fidgeted alone for a moment before huffing out a grumble and scrambling after the older girl.

"Alex!" She tried again. "Where are you going!? We can't be here!"

Tossing her signature smirk over her shoulder, Alex finally replied. "Oops. Looks like we already are."

_Here_ being the private pool belonging to the string of apartment complexes down the road from Alex's own. It'd started with one of their routine weekend sleepovers. A routine that began Friday afternoon when the last bell of the day rang and carried over till Sunday evening when Piper would finally amble home to attempt to get _one_ good night of sleep before the week began again.

The weekend itself had started normal as ever. They'd collected their choice of movies and selection of snacks from the Blockbuster down the street and the gas station beside it. By 12 AM they'd made their way through two and half of the movies (and most of the snacks). Halfway through the third movie Alex's hands started to wander. Her fingers begun creeping slowly up under the tanktop Piper had slipped into for the night, dancing lightly across her stomach, crawling teasingly over her ribs. They'd been just about to wiggle their way under the fabric of her bra when the sound of a lock clicking and doorknob turning drifted through the room.

It was one of Diane's half nights. Her small self-imposed allowance in place of a day off. Her shift ended at midnight and her next wouldn't start until noon the next day. Her one day of the week to sleep in. Alex's fingers had retreated quickly just as the door swung open.

She'd greeted them warmly, joining them quietly for a bit as she warmed up a quick dinner and they inquired about one another's day. Eventually she stood to dispose of her empty plate and retreat for the night, disappearing with a soft _g'night girls_. They'd stayed in the room for another 20 minutes before the end credits of the movie began to roll and Alex grew restless once more. _C'mon_, she'd murmured, pulling Piper to her feet. They slipped quietly from the apartment and into the night.

Another somewhat usual weekend occurrence. Nightly walks. Every so often Alex would grow restless and, hesitant to disturb Diane's few precious hours of slumber, would tug Piper out of their blankets and into the cool arms of the night. They'd wander quietly down the street, through the apartment complex, around the block. Sometimes they'd communicate through words and hushed voices, sometimes through gestures and silent gazes. Sometimes their arms would hang down loosely between them, fingers tangling gently, and sometimes Alex's arm would snake around Piper's shoulders, Piper's around her hips, and they'd lean against one another in a slow moseying amble.

Tonight Alex had other plans.

They'd come across the pool by accident, or fate, and a devious idea had slid into her mind as she slipped her hand from Piper's and made for the chain link fence. She hopped it with ease, ignoring Piper's startled hiss, knowing the blonde would follow.

"What are we doing?" She inquired again in a nervous hush, coming to stand beside her.

Alex turned her face towards her, innocent smile upon her lips, mischievous glint in her eye. "Going swimming."

"What!?" Piper hissed again. "Alex! We are so far out of bounds here, we can't go fucking _swimming_!"

Dark eyebrows bobbed gleefully as Alex turned her attention back to the water before them.

"We don't even have swimsuits!"

Alex's husky chuckle was her only response and Piper got the vaguely sinking feeling that she'd just played right into what Alex had wanted her to say. "Who says we need swimsuits?"

"Oh no." Piper warned. "No. No!"

"C'mon, Pipes, where's you sense of adventure? What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could get caught, for one. We could _drown_. Alex this is, this is such an awful idea. I can't."

But Alex had already begun sliding her shirt up her stomach. "So... _think of the story you'll have_."

Piper's eyes narrowed as she watched Alex pull her shirt over her head with a small sway of her hips. Tossing it next to a vacant chair, her hands slid to waistband of the pajama pants she wore. Another shimmy, and they joined the discarded shirt.

"_You know you want toooo..._" She sang softly as her hands reached behind her to unhook her bra.

Piper's face pinched in annoyance, _barely restrained amusement_ Alex noted gleefully as she slid her bra down her arms and quickly kicked her underwear off. She stood before her girlfriend silently for a moment, smirking imploringly, eyebrow cocked in that way she knew drove Piper crazy in more ways than one. Her fingers landed upon Piper's hips as she took a step closer, pulling her in gently. The blonde refused to buckle and their silent staring match went on before Alex leaned forward and dropped a slow and tender kiss to her lips. Piper's eyes had just fallen closed when she pulled away abruptly and launched herself into the pool.

Sapphire eyes were watching her quietly as she surfaced for air and she grinned as she ran a hand through her hair.

"_C'mon_." She whispered softly. "_Pipes..._"

Piper's gaze swept around the empty complex before sliding back to Alex's gentle grin and wet skin. She pursed her lips in annoyed debate before rolling her eyes and reaching to pull her tanktop off. Alex floated to the edge of the pool, elbows resting atop the concrete as she watched Piper slowly disrobe before her. She rested her chin against her slick forearms as her gaze ran up and down Piper's gradually appearing skin. Their eyes met as she kicked the last bit of clothing from her body.

Approaching the edge of the pool at a swaying saunter, she smirked at the slow grin pulling it's way across Alex's lips. She dove in effortlessly, arching gracefully over the brunette before disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Alex was still leaning against the wall when she floated back to the surface, though she'd turned to face the pool now. Their eyes met as Piper drifted slowly towards her, finally breaching for air inches apart. Alex smiled slowly, pulling the younger girl into her and Piper locked her legs around Alex's hips almost on instinct. She pushed them away from the wall gently as their lips met.

They floated around the pool, lost in one another's touch for awhile. Their lips moving together in an unhurried laziness. Alex's hands were running slowly over her backside when Piper finally pulled away from her, resting their foreheads together. Their eyes locked and they held each other's gaze, content in the gentle water and quiet night.

"Hey... I love you." Alex murmured, lifting a hand to tuck a stray strand of blonde locks behind a wet ear.

"Yeah?" Piper smiled.

"Yeah."

"That's nice." She fought valiantly against the smirk tugging at her lips.

"You bitch." Alex laughed.

"I mean, you're alright too, I guess."

"I'm _alright_?"

"Yeah." Piper laughed.

"Just alright?"

"Just alright."

"You know what?" Alex whispered, as if sharing a secret.

"What?" Piper murmured, leaning back in.

Suddenly she was floating. A brief weightless mass before crashing heavily back into the water a few feet from the older girl.

"Al!" She screeched.

"What?" Alex laughed innocently.

"_Al_!" Piper whined, swimming back towards the older girl.

"_Pipes_!" She mimicked, floating just out of her reach.

Piper dove towards her in desperation. "Stop!"

"Stop what?" Alex's eyes sparkled as she evaded the blonde's wet grasp once more.

"Stoooop!" Piper whined, kicking off after her.

They chased each other wildly for awhile before Alex finally allowed the younger girl to catch her. Piper's arms locked around her neck as she pressed her front into Alex's back.

"Got you." She hummed.

Alex smiled tiredly in response, pulling her around to her front. Resuming their previous positions, Alex once again tucked a strand of damp hair behind Piper's ear.

"Actually Pipes..." She murmured, their lips brushing. "it's _I_ who's got _you_."

Piper had just begun to lean forward, intent on capturing Alex's smirking lips with her own, when suddenly she was tipping backwards, once again finding herself underwater. Just as abruptly as she was dipped in, she was pulled back out, spluttering in confusion.

"Alex!" She managed to gasp, before being dunked again. "Alex! Stop!" She laughed, attempting to lock her arms around the older girl's neck. Alex dunked them both. "Alex!" Piper whined as they broke the surface once more. "No more!" her voice a mixture of a laugh and a whine as her fingers dug into Alex's shoulders.

"Alright." Alex conceded.

Piper leaned in to connect their lips. Alex leaned away. After several more failed attempts she began to whine again. Her hand closed over the back of Alex's head and she drug their lips together forcibly as Alex chuckled.

"I love you too." She finally murmured as their foreheads connected gently.

Alex hummed happily, her fingers skating tenderly along Piper's thighs. Their lips met languidly once more as her fingers trailed closer to Piper's waiting heat. She stroked between her legs slowly and Piper arched gently against her.

"Ale..." her voice trailed off breathlessly.

"Shhh..." Alex soothed, her strokes growing firmer.

She nuzzled against Piper's throat, dropping a small kiss to her shoulder before pushing into her. Piper groaned lowly, shifting her hips to settle against the new intrusion. Alex smirked into her shoulder as she set an easy pace. Piper's moans grew louder as her thrusts became rougher.

"Shhh, Pipes..." Alex laughed softly. "You're gonna get us caught."

"Then hurry up!" Piper growled needfully.

Alex shifted her higher upon her waist before resuming her motions. Piper grunted once at the new angle as Alex's fingers slid deeper. It didn't take long after that, the blonde soon coming apart with a loud cry that Alex just barely managed to capture with her own mouth before it could alert the entire apartment complex to their actions. She held Piper against her as she slowly regained her senses, gradually leading them towards the edge of the pool.

"Okay, kid?" She whispered against blonde hair.

"More than..." Piper murmured slowly. "I love you."

Alex chuckled softly against her once more, dropping a kiss to her head before pulling away. "Love you too, babe. Ready to head back?"

"Mmm..." Piper murmured.

Alex helped her gently from the pool. Their hands brushing lightly as they slowly helped each other into clinging clothes. They forewent undergarments, Alex slinging them lazily over her shoulder as she pulled Piper into her side. She was fading fast, the combined activities of the night catching up with her. They walked home silently, damp skin slowly airing dry in the warm stillness of the night.

Piper was nearly asleep when Alex slid her key through the lock and led them inside. She tucked her quietly into their blanket pile once more, clearing some of their mess away quietly before returning to slip in beside her. Piper mumbled tiredly as they settled next to each other and Alex smiled.

"What was that, kid?"

"Said IloveyouAlex." She slurred sleepily.

Alex smiled gently, pulling the sluggish blonde into her embrace, "Yeah, kid, I love you too."

* * *

><p>This is in no way my best work and I'm not really happy with the length or most of the idea, so I sort of only skimmed it after writing it and I'm sure it's full of a million mistakes and terrible writing. But whatever. Anyway, sorry it's taken me so long to post something new. I mentioned briefly on my tumblr that it's in part due to the fact that I write a lot of chapters at once in gradual chunks until I catch a flow that spins out the rest of the idea. But I've also sort of been battling a slight depression, which comes and goes occasionally, and it kind of left me not wanting to do anything. I've been <em>wanting<em> to write but it's been preventing me from actually being able to _do_ it. But I do still have a lot of unfinished half-started, various states of completion, chapters that I really do hope to finish eventually (not to mention an ever growing list of new ideas), so just bear with me as I crawl along at a snails pace. I might not update for weeks but it isn't the end of New Romantics. I'd like to think I'll let you know if I ever decide to _actually_ bring this story to a close. :)


	13. Chapter 13

_('I'm hella sick but not old enough to purchase cough medicine and that sounds really pitiful coming from a college student but would you please go buy me some NyQuil?' au)_

but somewhere more between _I'm not old enough_ and _I've forgotten my license and this clerk won't sell without a valid ID_

* * *

><p>She was in between parties when it happened.<p>

She stopped at the local drugstore to pick up a Red Bull and some aspirin. It had been a rough few weeks of nonstop parties and she was beginning to feel it. Picking her poisons, Alex sauntered idly towards the checkout counter, mind on other things.

"Listen. I _know_ you're just doing your job but _PLEASE_, I _need_ this medicine. I mean, can't you SEE how sick I am? I'm not gonna snort it or sell it or whatever the fuck you think people my age do with COUGH SYRUP. I just want to be _not sick_."

Alex's gaze fell to the blonde girl before her, helplessly bargaining with an unimpressed cashier.

"Listen, kid, I'd love to help you out, but I could lose my job. I can't sell yah the cough syrup without an ID."

Her shoulders fell with a heavy sigh of resignation. "I understand."

The bell above the door jingled as Alex's eyes followed the despondent blonde from the store.

"Kids." The clerk muttered to her as she stepped up to pay.

"Yeah..." Her gaze flicked from the now closed door to the woman behind the counter, thoughts still lingering on the dejected blonde. She took her items with a mumbled thanks, pulling a cigarette from her pocket and sliding it between her lips. She was lingering outside the door, fingers fumbling with her lighter, when she heard a racking cough to her left. The blonde stood just down the sidewalk, leaning heavily against the building as a series of explosive coughs burst from her lungs. Pulling the forgotten cigarette from her lips, Alex approached her. She was holding a cellphone to her ear as she muttered a vague stream of curses between coughs.

"You okay, kid?" Alex murmured gently. She didn't want to startle her.

"No." The blonde muttered, throwing a quick glance back at her. Her eyes were blue, Alex noted idly, shockingly so. "I'm fucking... sick, and I knew I shouldn't have left the apartment, but I just needed some _fucking_ medicine because I feel so shitty and I can't sleep and my FUCKING friend won't answer her fucking phone..." She trailed off with a sigh. "And now I'm unloading all my troubles onto a stranger who probably regrets trying to be a nice person."

Her blue eyes trailed slowly up to Alex's face and Alex knew they were met with a look of soft amusement. Her teeth trailed across her bottom lip as the blonde relaxed under her gaze. "I'm starting to think it was the best decision I've made tonight, actually..." She smirked.

A gracious blush lit across the blonde's already flushed face as they smiled at each other.

"Ugh." She muttered, with a groan. "This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

Alex's eyebrows rose in silent confusion.

"You're really hot and so of _course _you have to see me sick in my pajamas outside the local drugstore at twelve in the morning."

Her eyebrows jumped again in gleeful surprise, grin blooming across her face as the blonde seemed to realize what she'd just said.

"Oh god." She buried her face in her hands as Alex laughed.

"Wow. You must really be sick."

Another short groan escaped her lips as her hands fell away from her face. She fixed Alex with the most adorably pathetic look she'd ever seen. Biting her lip in sympathetic amusement once more, Alex glanced back over her shoulder before turning back to the blonde and murmuring, "Stay here." handing her her drink and aspirin. She ducked back into the store and grabbed a box of colorful cough syrup, ignoring the judgmental look from the clerk as she handed her her ID. She thanked her with a grin before swinging back out onto the street. The girl's blue eyes were on her once more as she made her way back to her, wiggling the bottle of syrup at her triumphantly.

"Oh my god!" The blonde nearly cried as Alex stepped close enough to hand her the bottle. "Oh my god." She murmured again, softly. "Thank you. Are you an angel?"

Alex laughed softly at her imploring gaze. "Just a stranger who couldn't stand the sight of a cute blonde standing outside the local drug store in her pajamas looking like a kicked puppy at twelve in the morning."

She studied her gently for a moment, fondly even, before seeming to come to her senses. "I should- I need- Let me pay you for this." She fumbled through her pockets for a moment before Alex stopped her.

"Don't worry about it. Seriously. It's on me."

"I can't..." She trailed off helplessly and Alex vaguely noted that she was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. "You've been so nice to me already, I can't just let you go without... giving you... _something_..." She trailed off awkwardly, noticing her choice of words.

Alex again smiled in gentle amusement. "Well. You can give me your name."

"Oh my god! I didn't even- it's Piper! Sorry. Piper." She stilled, gaze landing on Alex once more. "And you are...? Besides a good Samaritan with an obvious heart of gold."

"Alex." She laughed.

"Well, Alex... I still feel like I should pay you."

"Trust me, kid. It's not a problem."

Piper eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. "Okay..." She whispered. "Which way are you...?"

"This way." Alex nodded up the street.

"Oh. Me too."

They shared another smile, shoulders brushing as they turned to begin their journey.

Alex walked her the whole way to her apartment, whatever party she was supposed to be heading to now long forgotten. They'd fallen into easy conversation, talking about anything and everything under the sun. She'd even gone so far as to climb the stairs to the blonde's door with her, making sure the wispy thing made it safely as close to her bed as possible. They lingered in the doorway for a moment, Piper leaning to rest her forehead against the frame as she studied Alex with a tired smile. Alex found herself smiling back with a startling ease.

"_Thank you_." She murmured softly, a delicate shine of fondness dancing in her eyes.

"Don't mention it, kid." Alex was sure there was a similar shine her own gaze.

They watched each other quietly for another moment, as if hesitant to part. Finally Piper blinked, pushing herself slowly from the frame of her doorway. "Goodnight... Alex."

"Wait." She pushed herself forward before she could stop herself, reaching out for the blonde's wrist.

Her other hand dug through her pocket for her sharpie as Piper eyed her in soft confusion. Pulling the marker free, she yanked the cap off with her teeth, shooting a quick glance at the blonde as she pulled her forearm towards her. She trailed her fingertips over her warm skin as she pushed the sleeve of Piper's over-sized Smith hoodie up her arm. Piper watched in quiet fascination and Alex took it as a sign to continue. Several delicate, deliberate strokes later and her number was painted across the blonde's exposed forearm, rounded off with a small AV and little black heart. Piper's gaze trailed over the numbers, a tired smile playing across her face. She met Alex's eyes as she stepped back, capping her pen and sliding it back into her pocket.

"Call me, sometime." She murmured, smirking, self satisfied, at the blonde. Piper's hand closed over her forearm as she drew it into her chest, as if cradling the numbers themselves. Alex was walking slowly backwards, still grinning as they continued to hold each other's gazes. "'Night, kid."

They watched each other until she disappeared from sight, Piper finally slipping through her open door and down the hall to her bedroom. She held her arm above her face, eyes tracing the strong black numbers as she entered them into her phone before burrowing into her blankets with a sigh. Maybe tomorrow things would start looking up. Maybe tomorrow she'd finally start feeling better. And maybe tomorrow she'd ask Alex Vause out for a drink.

* * *

><p>A short one. I've had this mostly finished for awhile, finally decided to get it typed up in here and ended up finding an ending for it. Hopefully some longer chapters forthcoming. For either this or Freckle. Perhaps both. Who knows. Currently in a decently creative place, so, fingers crossed :)<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

_(I'm the police chief's daughter and you're the town's resident petty delinquent, my dad says you spend more nights in the town jail than you do in your bed, would you like to spend a night in mine?) _**[M RATING]**

* * *

><p>Being the police chief's daughter, Piper Chapman heard her fair share of warnings about who to stay away from. Normally it was easy. Most of the boys her father rounded up were exactly what he said they were. Arrogant. Deadbeats. Scum. Not worth Piper's time. Every once and awhile an out of towner would blow through and she'd poke around him until her dad finally drug him to the station for some reason or another. By then Piper would lose interest, instead opting to heed her father's warnings, and within the next few days the boy would be gone again. Piper was, for all intents and purposes, a Daddy's Girl. And she was hesitant to throw it away for some teenaged rebellion and a quick romp. That was until<em> Alex Vause<em>.

They'd grown up together in the way kids raised in that sort of town do; aware of each other but never quite acquaintances. Alex Vause was a grade above Piper and she'd occasionally hear stories about her drifting through the school halls (the rest she'd hear from her father). Alex Vause was bad news. Alex Vause was trouble. Alex Vause was someone who Piper Chapman should _stay away from_. Which had been easy. Up until she actually met the girl.

The first time Piper Chapman had met Alex Vause she'd been sixteen (Alex, seventeen) and visiting her father at the station. He'd been caught up in a shift and ended up staying later than he'd intended, so Piper, being the good girl she was, had brought him some dinner. Alex Vause was in holding. Some of the boys in the next cell over hooted and hollered when Piper strode in, Alex Vause's eyes narrowed. She'd followed Piper's every move, watching her silently as she talked quietly with her dad. When the boys' attentions finally wavered, having failed to garner a reaction from the blonde, Alex's persisted. When her father stepped away for a moment, Piper lingered. Turning to meet the heavy gaze at her back, Piper found herself shivering. It wasn't until her father returned that she shook herself out of her trance and bid him a quick farewell. She thought about Alex Vause and her piercing gaze for the rest of the night.

They'd bumped into each other in the hall several times before and after, but no further interactions took place and so the memory of Alex Vause and her sea-green gaze soon faded from Piper's mind. They didn't have their first true interaction until Piper was seventeen.

She'd somehow allowed her friends to talk her into attending one of the year's most anticipated parties. Though, if she's being honest, it wasn't all too hard a task on their end. She hadn't been invited to a lot of the "cooler" parties prior to her junior year. Being the police chief's daughter tended to make people weary of her credibility as far as _fun teenage activities_ went. It hadn't bothered her too much for awhile. She was content to behave and stay out of trouble for the most part, but lately she'd been feeling restless. Her friends had finally managed to start convincing people she was on the level and eventually the invitations started tentatively coming in.

Tonight's party was a major event. A yearly celebration thrown the last month of the school year when the Nichols family went out of town for a month. Or rather, Ms. Nichols and her boyfriend of the moment. Nicky, the daughter, would be left alone in her extravagantly large house to throw the most talked about party of the year. Typically a weekend-long affair, it was, simply put, the most anticipated event the youth of the small town looked forward to. People looked forward to the Nicky Nichols party more than they looked forward to graduation itself. Rolling in with her friends, Piper could see why.

The house was flooded with kids of varying ages. Most, if not all of Piper's graduating class (and the one above it) were in attendance, as well as several people who she'd recognized as having _already_ graduated, back in town for the event of the year. The spacious house was _packed_, and about an hour into the party Piper lost track of her friends. She'd been dancing in the living room with a boy her father had probably told her to stay away from when she'd finally decided to step out for some air. Grabbing another drink, she headed for the back patio.

Several people were mulling around when she pushed through the doors and into the night. Couples, who sat talking quietly. A few lone smokers, catching a quick smoke. People enjoying the cool warmth of the night. She filled her lungs with the crisp summer air and took a sip from her drink, her thoughts wandering to other things. She doesn't know how long she'd been observing the night sky when she felt a presence settle against the railing beside her.

"Never thought I'd see a girl like you at a party like this." A low voice drawled. Piper tilted her head to study her new partner and was met with a sea-green gaze. _Alex Vause_. She froze, turning to face her more fully. "Does daddy know you're here?"

Straightening, she faced the older girl head on. She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Flustered she closed her mouth again. Alex smirked, taking a draw from the cigarette held loosely between her fingers. "I'll take that as a _no_."

"I'm not supposed to talk to you." Piper finally stutters out and Alex laughs.

"And yet here you are."

They eye each other for a moment and Piper chews her lip thoughtfully. Alex's eyes are boring into her once more and she suddenly finds herself captivated with the older girl all over again. She pauses, considering her options. What's the harm in entertaining a little bit of conversation with Alex Vause, she's already partaking in behavior her father would surely frown upon could he see her now, how much worse could chatting up her father's least favorite town delinquent be?

Conversation, she finds, is easy. Alex is smart. Smarter than anyone's ever given her credit for. And Piper finds herself drawn into the easy way she discusses weighted topics. She's well read. Piper's rarely received a chance to talk to someone who's so well read to the extent that she is (all those missed parties and nights spent studying). Alex meets her at every topic she presents and surprises her with a selection of her own, and before Piper knows it she's spent over an hour on Nicky Nichol's back porch discussing the philosophy of life with Alex Vause.

They're knee deep in a debate about philosophy when shouts begin to echo through the party. The doors fly open and people start pouring into the night.

"What's going on?" Piper shouts in confusion.

"COPS!" Someone yells.

Alex's eyes sweep over the crowd, "Fuck."

Piper's initial reaction, as it turns out, is to freeze. Her body going rigid as people pour out of the house, scattering in every direction. A hand closes around her wrist and suddenly she's being tugged through the fleeing bodies. _Alex_. Alex is pulling her from the deck. Alex is leading her from the party.

"Where are we going!?" She half yells as she finally comes to her senses.

"We're getting the fuck outta here!" Alex hisses back. "Unless you wanna stay and face the wrath of your dad!"

The thought alone sends Piper running. Alex's hand has moved from her wrist to her hand and their fingers tangle together as they run through the yards. She rounds a corner and jumps onto an old motorcycle parked a few streets down.

"Get on." She commands, tossing Piper a helmet.

"What?"

"Get on!" Piper eyes the bike wearily, fingers digging into the helmet. "_Piper_! Seriously. Do you _want_ to get caught?"

She throws a leg over the bike, pulling on the helmet and climbing up behind Alex. Her arms snake hesitantly around her waist and Alex tugs them tighter, pulling her flush against her back before kicking the engine to life. They peel out of the driveway noisily and tear down back streets, the fading sounds of sirens nipping at their heels. Finally, after what seems like hours they swing into an abandoned apartment complex, rundown and crumbling. A place Piper's father had warned her about. Alex maneuvers the bike behind a dilapidated wall and kills the engine. Helping Piper from the bike she moves down the building and slips quietly through a hole in the wall, disappearing into the darkness. Piper pauses, eyeing the crumbling wall. Was she supposed to follow? Is this her cue to leave? Alex's head pops back through the opening and she fixes Piper with a disgruntled look.

"_Are you coming_?"

Piper jolts, discarding the helmet beside the bike and following Alex through the hole. They emerge upon a center courtyard, now fashion with various tarps and old furniture. A collection of discarded beer cans and bottles and old cigarette butts decorate the floor and Piper frowns slightly in distaste before glancing back at Alex.

"What is this place?"

"I come here sometimes to think." Alex murmurs, kicking a few bottles aside and settling on a worn couch. "Used to be a party spot, but I... ended up liking it too much to share. Kicked everyone out. Cleaned it up. It's mine now."

Piper's gaze sweeps around the courtyard, an empty pool sits to the right, full of graffiti and various bits of discarded trash. Alex sits upon an abandoned sofa, moth-eaten and weathered, a lazy-boy in similar disarray sits to her left and a ratty torn tarp strung over them in a tent-like fashion sags above them, protecting them from the full barrage of the elements. A few crates lay before the couch, fashioned into a makeshift table of sorts, and Piper lowers herself gingerly onto one. Alex lights up a cigarette.

"Figure we wait here for a bit for things to cool down." She takes a puff, "Before I take you home."

Piper nods, casting her gaze around the complex once more. "Did you do all this?"

Alex casts a sweeping gaze, landing on Piper before dropping to her feet, now propped up on the crates beside her. "Most of it."

"It's nice."

Alex chuckles.

"What?"

"You don't have to pretend kid, I know it's not your scene."

She blushes, gazing down at her own feet before meeting Alex's gaze once more. "No, I... I mean it. Really. I don't really... have anywhere... y'know... my _own_. It's nice that you can just... come here to _escape_."

Alex eyes her thoughtfully for a bit, slow curls of smoke leaving her lungs. Eventually she tosses the butt to the ground, grinds it with her boot before standing.

"Come on."

Piper glances up at her in confusion. "What?"

"Come on. I wanna show you something."

Alex takes her hand once again and leads her into the night. They forgo the bike this time, instead opting to walk quietly. Alex's fingers are warm against her own and Piper can't help sneaking glances at their hands, Alex's face. They walk for a good while, Alex occasionally murmuring a soft tidbit or two about her life or their surroundings. Piper occasionally chimes in with her own offerings, but for the most part she's content to listen to Alex's rasping voice.

She leads them through the town, stopping at various points of interest. Secret hovels Piper never would have known to explore herself. Places her father has warned her against and places that are so well guarded even he doesn't know of their existence. And the meaning of Alex sharing these places with her is not lost Piper. For once in her life she feels like maybe she isn't the police chief's daughter, she's just another kid. Dawn is breaking by the time they pull up in front of Piper's house. Alex lets the engine idle as Piper climbs from the back of the bike, pulling off the helmet and handing it back to her quietly. She takes it and their eyes meet.

"Thank you..." Piper mumbles haltingly, "for this."

Alex sits a little straighter, a soft smile touching her face. "Anytime, kid."

Neither of them know what else to say and so they leave it at that, Alex pulling the helmet over her head as they continue to hold each other's gazes.

"I'll see you around, kid." She finally murmurs, kicking the bike back to life.

Piper knows, in the back of her mind, that she should be weary of her father hearing the telltale signs of Alex's bike kicking to life outside his home in the early hours of the morning, but the only thing her mind could focus on was that sea-green gaze, and that ever-present, enticing smirk, packed full of unspoken promises. This is where Alex Vause begins to become the only thought that matters to Piper Chapman's mind.

It starts quite easily after that. Alex graduates at the end of the month and suddenly they're entangled in the long hot grasp of summer. Alex's world becomes Piper's and suddenly all the places her father told her never to go have become her favorite places in the world. His grumbling stories about Alex Vause and the trouble she's got up to that day lead Piper to smiling quietly into her dinner, hiding small grins behind gulps of water. She tells her parents she's out with friends and she tells her friends she's at home studying and suddenly her days and nights are filled with nothing but Alex.

They're nearly a month and a half into their tentative arrangement when it happens.

It's a week and a half after her eighteenth birthday and Alex has taken her for a ride out of place from their usual hangouts. They're outside city limits, stretched out on a grassy hill, watching the night sky roll in around them when Alex's gaze turns to Piper. Feeling Alex's attention on her face, she pulls her gaze from the slowly forming stars to Alex's sea-green. There's a strange sort of seriousness to her face that gives Piper pause, before Alex smiles softly and leans in. Their lips met gently at first, and Alex almost immediately pulls away, gauging Piper's reaction. A deep breath. And suddenly they're clutching each other's faces. Their mouths moving as if they can't get enough. Alex's tongue slips into Piper's mouth and it's the most delightful thing she's ever felt.

They lay for awhile afterwards, after they've contented themselves with the taste of each other's mouths for the time being, still clutching each other's faces, foreheads resting against one another gently. Alex tucks a strand of Piper's hair behind her ears and suddenly they're laughing. And then they're kissing again. And the night rolls on around them. She leaves her out front of her house that night with another kiss. Their last of the night and their first in goodbye. Piper can still feel Alex on her lips when she climbs into bed an hour later.

Summer eventually rolls into autumn and, for Piper, a new school year begins. Their time together lessons significantly, school occupying most of Piper's day and leaving little room for their once-usual freedom of the night. They flounder at first, struggling to make sense of this new schedule they both must work around. Eventually though, they find a pace. Piper's last class lets out at three and Alex is without fail always waiting for her in the parking lot, leaning smugly against her bike. Piper's friends have found out about their relationship several weeks earlier, before summer's final turn and the creeping grasp of fall. Though Polly, at this point, is the only one truly left. Piper's slow distancing of herself from her old group uprooting all but the small brunette's presence in her life. She rolls her eyes at the older girl's presence, though always promises Piper she'll cover.

Alex hands her a helmet, making a blithe comment about the horrors of high school and how she can't believe Piper's got her coming back, even if it's just for a few minutes every afternoon. Piper smiles, wraps herself around Alex's waist and out they peel, content to have each other for a few precious hours before the weight of responsibility calls them apart again. Eventually though, it's not enough for Alex.

The first night Alex sneaks through Piper's window is a night of _many_ firsts.

Piper's reading in bed when she first hears the soft tapping. Brows furrowing she sets her book aside, pulling herself from the bed and treading quietly to the window. Sliding it open silently she's met with Alex's husky voice, drifting in with the cool autumn air of the night. "_Hey_."

"Alex! What are you doing here? How did you get up here?" Piper whispers in various states of alarm, stepping back as the brunette tumbles into her room.

"Ugh." She grumbles. "Not easily."

"Alex!" Piper hisses again as she straightens. "My dad is asleep downstairs! If he catches you here he'll kill us both! You can't be here!" The rest of her tirade is interrupted by Alex's lips upon her own. She's powerless. "Alex..." She whispers softly as they pull apart.

"Relax kid. I wanted to see you. ... _I missed you_." Alex murmurs softly, her nose trailing softly against Piper's face.

"I miss you too." Piper murmurs back, burrowing into her embrace.

They stay holding one another for a moment in the dim lighting of Piper's bedroom before Alex murmurs, "So _this_ is what Piper Chapman, police chief's daughter's bedroom looks like..." Her eyes sweep across her surroundings as they pull apart, "I gotta tell ya, kid, I was expecting way more pink."

"Shut up." Piper mumbles halfheartedly, turning back towards the bed.

She settles in again, picking her book back up as Alex explores. She wanders quietly, idly picking up trinkets or photos to study before moving on. Piper watches her from the corner of her eye, content that Alex is willing to investigate silently. She wanders for awhile before finally crawling up next to Piper, saying nothing as she settles beside her. Her chin rests against Piper's chest and her eyes flick over the words on the pages for awhile before her attention moves on to other things. She's tracing illegible patterns across Piper's collarbone when she finally sets her book aside.

"Are you staying the night?" She asks. She's only _half_ joking, dragging her fingers through Alex's hair, nails lightly scraping her scalp.

"Mmm..." Alex hums happily. She drops a kiss to Piper's collarbone, burrowing her face against her, "_Yes_."

She kisses a slow trail across Piper's neck and Piper finds herself breathing heavier by the time Alex finally reaches her lips. They kiss deeply, Alex's tongue delving gently into her mouth. One of them moans, Piper can't tell who, and Alex's hand reaches up to stroke across her cheeks, cupping her jaw lightly as she angles the kiss deeper still. Piper's hands travel down Alex's back to rest against the small dip where it meets her hips. Alex grunts.

"_Pipes..._" She murmurs, pulling back, "_I want you_."

Piper stills for a moment. Only a moment. The most they'd done so far had been some heavy petting. Piper had had sex with a few boys before Alex, but never had she cared for someone so deeply and wholly as she did, Alex. It was a new experience entirely. Alex had been patient with her, sensing her apprehensions and never quite letting their sessions develop into anything more than a few teasing touches or grinding hips. She knew what they had was special, and she didn't want Piper to be just another quick fuck in one of her familiar old places. She'd been planning to woo her, make their first time something really spectacular. But then school started and their time together dwindled significantly. Suddenly Alex found herself missing the blonde more than she could stand. And tonight, seeing Piper snuggled up in her bed, cozy and wrapped in a book, her heart melted. Suddenly she realizes she doesn't have to woo the blonde because she's already more devoted to her than anyone else in Alex's life ever has been. Suddenly she realizes she is too.

"_So take me_." Piper whispers. And suddenly Alex is releasing a lung full of air she didn't know she was holding.

Their mouths meet gently once again, Alex's fingers curling around Piper's neck as she drags them closer together. Piper's panting softly, by the time they pull apart. In their preoccupation Alex has rolled so she's leaning above the blonde, her thigh falling between Piper's. Piper's own leg has bent slightly, a light pressure between Alex's legs and she's slowly begun to grind against it. Piper's hips are pushing back against her own and their chests brush lightly as she leans in for another kiss. Clothes are shed slowly as she trails her mouth down Piper's neck. Piper's T-shirt is the first to go, leaving her clad in nothing but a strikingly scanty pair of panties.

Alex's attention diverts to Piper's newly exposed chest, pausing to take the uncovered expanse of skin in. Her fingertips trace over Piper's ribs as she leans down to capture a straining nipple in her mouth. Piper mewls softly, arching herself off the bed and into Alex's mouth. Her hands trail across Alex's back, tangling in the hem of her shirt before dragging it over her head. Shaking her hair out as Piper tosses the shirt to the side of the bed, Alex reaches behind herself and unclips her bra. Piper gasps softly, her hips rolling gently against Alex's.

With a knowing smirk Alex leans down once again to capture her panting lips. Their hips begin grinding once more as they ride each other's thighs, lost in the haze of the kiss and each other. Taking advantage of Piper's distraction, Alex trails a hand between her legs, slipping deftly beneath the damp material of her panties. Pulling away from her lips abruptly, Piper gasps out a moan as Alex's fingers swipe across her entrance.

Alex laughs quietly, leaning down so her mouth is level with Piper's ear. Her fingers continue to tease at Piper's wetness as she whispers, "What do think your dad would say if he knew his least favorite delinquent was currently in his daughter's bedroom defiling her?"

As predicted Piper trembles beneath Alex's fingers. Alex chuckles again, sucking Piper's earlobe into her mouth as the fingers in her panties swirl against her clit. Piper's hips jerk forcefully, another moan rumbling from her throat.

"Shhh..." Alex hushes, "wouldn't wanna wake daddy."

"_Alex..._" Piper gasps, "_I need-_"

Alex drops a kiss to Piper's jaw, her fingers once again sliding against the entrance of her cunt. "What do you need, babe?"

"_I need-_" Piper tries again, her hips straining for Alex's fingers. "_Alex..._"

Alex's mouth works it's way over Piper's jaw, lightly sucking and biting. "_Pipes... _Tell me what you_ need_."

"_I need you._" Piper finally gasps out. She's rewarded with Alex's fingers pushing into her, deep and filling.

"_You've got me, babe_."

She sets an easy pace, easing in and out of Piper's heat as she grinds her own hips into Piper's thigh. Piper's hands claw at her back as she arches beneath her, nails digging painful half crescents into Alex's shoulders. Alex groans, shuddering against Piper's thigh as their chests brush against each other and Piper's slick walls suck gently at her fingers. Her free hand rises to play with one of Piper's nipples as the blonde begins to whimper below her.

"_Let go for me, Pipes_." She whispers, abandoning the blonde's chest to draw her more tightly against her. "_Come on, kid. Come._"

A wetness explodes across her hand as Piper's walls clench greedily against her, "_That's my girl_." Her hips spasm against Alex's hand as she works her gently through her comedown, eventually easing her hand free with a sigh. "_Pipes..._" She murmurs, dropping a slow kiss to her lips.

Piper hums tiredly against her and they lay in each other's arms for awhile, kissing softly and breathing quietly. Their foreheads rest against one another and they gaze into each other's eyes as Alex runs a hand across Piper's cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. Alex's hips shift against Piper's thigh as she settles deeper into the bed and Piper absently notes she's still wearing her jeans.

"What about you?" She murmurs tiredly.

Alex smiles gently, thumb still tracing across Piper's cheek. "Relax kid, we've got time." She drops another light kiss to Piper's nose, "We've got time."

They take each other again (and again) before finally rolling over just before sunrise. Piper wakes several hours later, just before 11 AM, to the foreign feeling of Alex's skin pressed against her own. She hums contentedly, settling into the warmth of Alex and her bed for a moment before jerking awake abruptly.

"Alex!" She hisses.

"Mmmm..." Alex moans, burying her face against the pillow she was currently splayed across.

"Alex!" Piper shoves against her shoulder in a panic.

"What?" Alex grumbles.

"Alex it's eleven AM!" Piper whisper-screams.

"Oh fuck." Alex murmurs. She rolls over, casting a gaze towards the window she crawled through hours earlier, now pouring over with warm sunlight, and Piper's momentarily distracted by the sight of her bare skin wrapped in her sheets. "Fuck." Alex's attention turns from the window to the blonde beside her and a familiar smirk works it's way across her lips at the girl's hesitant wonder. "_Mmm..._" She hums happily, pulling the younger girl to her lips. Piper melts against her. They break apart, but she holds their foreheads close, one hand gently cupping the back of Piper's neck. "So how're we gonna get out of this?" Another kiss. "Please tell me daddy dearest isn't downstairs."

"No..." Piper half-sighs, "he should be... gone. Mom though..." Alex's lips have moved to trail across her neck and she suddenly found herself struggling to remember what the problem was.

"Mom... ?" Alex probed gently.

"Mom's home. She's probably... downstairs..." She's sinking further into the bed under Alex's attentions, "I can... sneak you through the front door... maybe... if we..."

Alex hums against her throat and Piper shudders deliciously, a flush of warmth heading to pulse between her legs. Alex is flat against her back now, Piper laying over her with one of Alex's talented hands just barely beginning to stroke between her legs when a thump sounds outside the room.

"Piper!" A shrill voice calls.

"_Fuck!_" Piper shoots up in a panic. They stare at each other in alarm before Piper shoves Alex from the bed. "_Hide!_" She hisses.

"Where!?" Alex hisses back turning in circles, her gaze following the blonde as she picks up various items of clothing and flings them towards her.

"_Piper!_" The voice is growing closer.

"In the closet!" Piper hisses, shoving Alex and her armful of clothing into the small hollow.

She's yanking her T-shirt back over herself when the door swings open and her mother strides in. "_Piper Elizabeth Chapman_! Are you _still_ asleep at this hour!"

"No mom!" Piper calls casually, just barely sliding into the chair at her desk to cover her lack of pants. "Just working on some studying."

"Hmm..." Her mother's eyes narrow, examining the books spread across the desk. "Well. Come downstairs now. Your breakfast is getting cold. And you have tutoring at twelve, so please try to be ready. Honestly, Piper, the amount of money we spend on this you'd think you'd take it a little more seriously." Her words begin to fade as she strides back down the hall, Piper watching her anxiously until she disappears down the stairs.

Letting an explosive breath of air from her lungs, she stands on shakey legs, throwing open the doors of the closet. Alex gazes silently back at her with an armful of clothes. "You know I could make a joke about your choice in hiding place." She teases. And suddenly they're both laughing quietly.

They dress quickly, stealing kisses here and there between layers of clothes. Piper leads them quickly and quietly downstairs, keeping an ever-present eye out for her mother and brother as she ushers Alex towards the door. She gives her one last kiss in the hallway before Alex slips through the door, and she into the kitchen. Her mother, as it turns out, is none the wiser.

"What is that god-awful racket?" She asks when Alex's bike kicks to life a few houses down.

Piper smiles quietly into her breakfast.

And thus Alex's new favorite hobby becomes sneaking into Piper's room. She spends the night more often than not and soon Piper is spending the odd night out with her once again. Though now, more often than not, their nights tend to end with them naked and breathless. Polly always covers for her, the nights Piper slips out to spend with Alex, saying she'll tell anyone who asked that Piper spent the night at hers. Piper repays her kind with the same favor anytime Polly feels the urge to spend a night out of her own with whichever boy she was currently dating.

The school year wanes on and Piper begins preparing for college. They avoid the topic at first, afraid to upset the delicate balance, but the conversation eventually breaks open and soon they're faced with serious discussions about the future. College plans roll over to _after_ and after rolls over to _life_ and both of them are quietly struck by how effortless it all is to suddenly see a future of _theirs_ instead of _mine_.

Piper's dad begins to grumble less and less about Alex Vause. Her attentions slowly being filled with jobs, life, and Piper, she's had less and less time to stir up familiar trouble throughout the town. It doesn't stop her completely, however. They're at the dinner table one night, a family affair, when he begins an old familiar tirade about Alex Vause. She'd nearly gotten caught for some discretion of a sort earlier that day while Piper was busy tending to an overflowing schedule. They hadn't had a chance to see each other and Alex's boredom led her to some of her old habits in the meantime.

"What is it about her you hate so much, daddy?" Piper asks him quietly, hoping to come off as nothing but casual inquiry.

He hems and haws for a bit, sighs and huffs. Finally, removing his glasses and trailing a hand across his forehead he murmurs, "She's a smart kid. Smarter than most of the other ones I bring in every other night. It's just a shame to see her letting that go to waste."

They let the topic fall for the rest of the night. Though inside Piper's suddenly filled with a tentative grasping of hope.

Their final summer comes and goes, Piper's post-graduation celebrations being spent in a small cabin upstate that Alex had rented for the weekend (she'd told her parents she was with Polly, of course). She chooses a college semi-close, Alex gradually moving between their two bases before finally settling fully into Piper's new town. They rent an apartment towards the end of the year, prepared to spend the rest of Piper's college career in it as soon as the semester ends. Alex manages to stay out of trouble in the new town, now twenty-two and far more grounded than the wild thing she was in her youth. A slow change that she's been evolving through since she turned eighteen.

They're nearing the end of Piper's first semester in college when she finally decides to tell her parents. Telling them she's bringing someone very special home, they count down the days and hope for the best. Alex cracks an endless well of jokes about saying their final goodbyes because Piper's father is surely going to murder her the second she walks through the door (and then again when he finds out she's touched his baby girl).

They agree to meet for dinner their first night back. Piper's house, they decide, is the best place for the "meeting", the less public carnage the better. The doorbell rings and they share one final hopeful smile before the door swings open and Piper's mother is greeting them. She falters, upon noticing Alex. Falling silent and fixing them both with a stern knowing stare, she eventually gathers herself and offers a clipped and foreboding welcome. It's smoother than Piper had thought it would go, though her mother's never been their real concern. And she is, for the most part, reserving judgement until the news reaches Piper's dad. His opinion will decide whether Alex Vause lives or dies.

It's an awkward affair at first (though Piper's brother seems delighted about the spectacle). Bill Chapman abruptly halts as they come through the entryway and into the kitchen, his eyes darting between the brunette and his daughter in thoughtful stony silence for a moment before he invites them all to sit. Everyone walks on thin ice as dinner progresses and it's not until he sets his silverware aside (Carol standing to clear the plates and leave them to their verdict), that he clears his throat and fixes them with a heavy stare.

"How long has this been going on?" He asks gruffly, and they share a brief nervous look before Piper blurts out the truth. The entire truth. A whole three years of it. He's silent for a moment, weighing the years in his mind before nodding his head once. "I don't like it... but I'd be a liar if I didn't say I'd always wondered what happened that year that turned Alex Vause into somewhat of a model citizen." His gaze flicks between the two of them, the faintest of smiles touching his lips, "I guess now I know."

A breath of air Piper thinks she's been holding since she turned eighteen explodes from her lungs and she glances at Alex with a relieved sort of giddiness. Alex smiles demurely back, flicking her gaze back to Piper's dad and nodding her head once. The rest of the night goes smoothly for the most part and they're left with an invitation to return a month from now for another family dinner (the lingering question of making it a monthly thing hanging open at the end of the suggestion). They're outside on the front stoop when Piper's mother calls her back in quickly to grab some leftovers, insisting relentlessly until the blonde finally agrees.

"I'll be right back." She murmurs exasperatedly to Alex before slipping back through the doors.

Alex is left to stand on the porch a moment, face upturned to the warm summer breeze under the night sky. The door clicks open and Bill Chapman steps out, causing Alex to tense slightly. _Here it comes_ she thinks.

"I can't pretend that you're my first choice for my daughter." He begins, lighting up a cigar and joining Alex in her contemplation of the sky. "But I suppose if she had to choose any of them, I'm glad it's you."

Alex eyes him curiously for a moment. Silent as she allows him to say his peace.

"You've always been a smart kid, Alex. Something that's killed me from the first time I brought you in. I know Piper's good for you. I've _seen_ that... maybe clearly for the first time _tonight_, but I've seen it changing over the years." He nods, taking a long draw from the cigar. "Maybe in your own way you're good for her too. Who knows... but she seems happy. And so do you." Turning to face her now, he fixes her with a wry smile. "You'll understand that I expect you to stay out of trouble for good now."

Alex grins, casting her gaze to the concrete before them before bringing it up back up to meet his once more. "Yes, sir."

Nodding again his smile grows a little bigger as he sticks the cigar back between his teeth. "And if you ever hurt her I won't hesitate to lock you up for good."

Fighting her own growing grin Alex nods again, stifling a quick chuckle. "Yes, sir."

"Good." He nods.

Piper comes swinging through the door in that moment and pauses, he eyes flicking between the two of them in sudden fear. "_Daddy_..." She begins.

"Relax, Piper. We're just saying goodnight."

Her gaze flicks from her father's amused expression to Alex's and she relaxes visibly, moving to stand beside her girlfriend. Alex's arm snakes around her waist and she leans into her warmth as they both bid her father a goodnight.

"What was that all about?" She whispers to Alex as they make their way down the walk.

"Nothing, babe." She grins, "Just looking out for his little girl."

They share a kiss outside Piper's car, which Alex suddenly deepens, pulling apart to rest her forehead against Pipers, thumbs gently stroking at her jaw.

"Hey... I love you, you know?"

Piper smiles radiantly, her attention flicking between Alex's sea-green eyes in love-filled wonder. "I know. I love you too. Now, come on..." She pulls away, "I think we've pushed my father's limitations far enough for one night."

Alex laughs aloud as they slide into the car. Their hands meet over the center console, their fingers tangling together immediately, and they share one final gaze before pulling out into the night and away from the quiet town.


	15. Chapter 15

inspired by Taylor Swift's _How You Get The Girl  
><em>for Orange Dandelion ;)

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><p>It's late.<p>

That much Alex is aware of.

It's late and it's pouring and she's standing outside Piper Chapman's door slowly loosing the feeling in her limbs. Her knuckles vaguely throbbing where she knocked them against the door several moments ago. She'd knocked long and she'd knocked hard, knowing she'd tap too lightly or too quick if she didn't force herself otherwise. Her clothes are dripping a slowly growing puddle on the porch and the seconds were ticking away with every droplet. But she doesn't let herself focus on any of this.

The door finally swings open and she's met with that familiar blue gaze. Shocked at first, she watches Piper's expression morph to confusion then a very mute annoyance as she catches sight of Alex's rather sizable puddle.

"Alex? What are you- Are you insane!?"

"Pipes." She begins, "I know it's been six months, and I know I have no right to be here right now, like this, but fuck, I needed to see you. I have to tell you... Pipes, I fucked up. I fucked up and I let you walk away and I know what I want now. I know what I want. _Pipes_." It all comes out in a rush, her hand is grasping the door frame, as if preemptively preventing Piper from closing the conversation before she's had her say.

Blue eyes study her silently, sorting through the tangled lung-full of words now hanging between them. She steps aside, a silent invitation, and Alex steps in. Disappearing down the hall, Alex's gaze sweeps over the small collection of frames and the faces in them as she waits. Pictures of Piper, her brother, Polly...

"Here." Piper returns, tossing her a towel. Alex doesn't recognize it. She drags it over her head, shaking out the droplets clinging to her hair. Piper's eyeing her silently, a new puddle slowly forming around her feet again. "Alex, you're dripping everywhere." She mumbles.

Lowering the towel, their eyes meet. Piper rubs her forehead, "Here." she mutters, pulling a discarded hoodie from the next room.

It takes Alex a moment.

"I'll put your stuff in the dryer." Piper snaps tiredly.

Right. She pulls her jacket from her arms. It's probably ruined. She can't quite bring herself to care. She can't quite bring herself to care about a lot of things like that these days. Her t-shirt clings to her like a second skin and it takes her a moment longer to pull the wet material from herself. Taking the hoodie still hanging between them in Piper's outstretched arm, her cold fingers fumble with the zipper a moment before tugging it on.

"Can we talk?" She tries again, wrapping the towel around her hips to soak the remaining moisture from her jeans.

"Alex..." Piper sighs, "it's one in the morning."

"Pipes..." She let's it hang, waits for those blue eyes to return to her. "_Please_."

She leads them to the living room. More picture frames adorn the walls, the tables, the mantle of the small fireplace. Alex's eyes sweep over all of them. More faces she recognizes, more faces she doesn't. Piper disappears for a moment, back through the kitchen, depositing Alex's wet shirt into the dryer, and returns with two steaming mugs. She mumbles a soft thanks as the blonde hands her one, motioning to the couch for her to sit as she settles into the armchair across the floor.

She tucks her legs underneath her, curling delicately into the chair, and Alex is struck for a moment by just how beautiful she is. She's in her pajamas, having been awakened by Alex's sudden pounding or about to turn in for the night. Her hands are wrapped around her mug, and she brings it to her lips, taking a small sip of the steaming coffee. Gaze flicking from Alex's to the mug and back, she waits patiently for the brunette to begin.

"So." She prods.

"So." Alex answers, taking a sip of coffee before setting the mug on the table before her. She studies her now empty hands, "When you left. Six months ago. You told me I needed to decide what I wanted."

"I did." Piper murmurs. Another sip of coffee.

"Well..." She chances a glance at the blonde. "I've decided."

"It's been six months, Alex." Piper murmurs. "Half a year. How do you know things haven't changed?"

"I don't." Alex admits softly. "But I'm willing to fight for this, Piper. I'm willing to fight for _you_."

Piper stays silent, shifting thoughtfully in her seat.

"You walked out on me six months ago, but I didn't stop you. And I should have. And I haven't stopped thinking about you for six months. I've tried, Piper. Believe me. I've fucking _tried_." Piper's gaze drops to her mug. "I was angry, Piper. Really _fucking_ angry." She pauses, collecting her thoughts, studying her palms. "But then I got sad. I missed you. I missed... _us_. I missed the sex, sure, but waking up without you... coming home to an empty apartment... the small things... I can't do it anymore. It's not enough anymore. It's not worth the exchange."

Piper meets her gaze again. Holds it. Waiting for Alex to say it. She's hesitant to believe and she needs to hear her say it.

"I fucked up. I'm not happy, Pipes. I thought... as long as I had the cartel, as long as I was on top, had everything I wanted, I'd be fine. But you..." a soft laugh, "you came in and fucked all that up. And now what I want most is _you_. I want to wake up next to you, and fall asleep holding you. I want to come home from a trip, be it across the country or to the fucking supermarket down the street, it doesn't matter, but I want to come back to _you_. I want to hear your laughter above everything else in a crowded room, I want your eyes to be the ones I meet in a sea of hundreds. I want one night at home with you over a million nights spent in a million clubs with a million fucking girls who could never compare. I want _you_, Pipes. And I was a fucking idiot for not realizing it sooner."

"Alex." Piper sighs, runs a hand over her forehead. "How can I believe anything's truly changed? How do I know you're not just lonely and experiencing a moment of weakness and we won't just fall back into the same patterns again in another six months?"

"I'm staying here." Alex murmurs.

"What?" Piper whispers in an equally hushed tone.

"I'm staying here. In the city. I'm working in the background now. I told them I can't do it anymore. The whole jet-setting thing. It's killing me. It killed _us_. I'm behind the scenes. I coordinate. I oversee. I'm grounded. It took three months to work it all out, but... it's settled now. _I'm_ settled. I didn't want to see you until it was."

"Are you serious?" Piper murmurs. "Alex, I mean... really _really_ serious?"

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life." They hold each other's gazes. "Please, Pipes. Don't give up on us. Not yet."

She stands, placing her empty coffee mug on the table beside her chair. Alex watches her silently from her position on the couch, awaiting her deliberation. She gets as far as the kitchen doorway before turning back towards the brunette. "Well?"

"Well?" Alex returns, a hesitant tinge of hope and light dusting of apprehension coating her tone.

"Come on." Piper whispers. She stand hesitantly, makes her way towards the waiting blonde. She leads them to the stairs, pauses between them and the front door before speaking again. "It's late, and only getting nastier out. You can stay here for the night. We'll figure out what to do with you in morning."

There's a hint of a smile on her face and Alex can't stop the overwhelming bloom of happiness that overtakes her chest. And when she awakens to Piper Chapman slowly blinking awake beside her the next morning she can't help the full-hearted grin that sweeps across her face right before the blonde pulls her in for a kiss.

She doesn't know what sort of future awaits them.

But Alex can't quite make herself care about anything past the "_them_" anyway.

* * *

><p>Short and sloppy, but something that had to be done. Probably takes place in a world where they broke up but Alex's mother's death didn't coincide, and prison and the drugs didn't happen. I didn't want to rush them into anything because I hate stories where they just reconcile and fall into bed without really settling anything, so I imagine they've got a shit ton more to discuss, having been apart for six months, but they're still Alex and Piper and they're not gonna be able to resist at least a kiss. Especially after waking up to one another again after a prolonged period of absence. So things aren't totally okay or settled, but they're going to <em>try<em> and that seemed like a good enough place for an ending :)


	16. Chapter 16

_(I passed a flower shop next to a tattoo shop and at first I laughed because I thought it was ironic and then i freaked because IMAGINE YOUR OTP IN A FLORIST/TATTOO ARTIST AU)** [M RATING]**_

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><p>She was initially skeptical. When she'd heard that the buyer of the vacant shop beside her own had been a <em>florist<em>. But Piper Chapman has always had a knack for knocking Alex Vause for a loop whenever she thinks she's finally got the girl figured out.

It used to be a crafts shop. An _unorthodox_ crafts shop, owned by a fiery old thing Alex had fondly fallen in a sort-of-love with. The grandmother she'd never had, maybe. _Greta's_ boasted a collection of trash, garbage, and junk turned _art_. And it always felt sort of complimentary next to Vause Ink. But Greta had grown weary in her old age, and eventually had to pack up shop, moving cross country to be with family. _A retirement, Vause_. She'd told Alex as they shared a quiet lunch one day. Alex quickly pointing out that she was _already_ retired (an old back and forth routine of theirs).

_Greta's_ went empty and unsold for nearly three months before Piper Chapman blew in.

Alex had almost grown used to the silence.

The first time she spots Piper Chapman she's carrying an armful of boxes from a haphazardly parked car to the shop, swaying under the weight as she struggles to peek around the mountain in her arms. She's nearly landed face first amid a pile of scattered boxes, tripping against the uneven pavement of the sidewalk, when Alex catches her, grabbing the other end of the swaying stack before the entire thing can upend.

"Woah, there." She breathes quietly. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm- I'm fine. Thanks. _Thank you_." The blonde titters, regathering herself. "That was almost a disaster."

Blue eyes meet Alex's green as a blonde head peeks around the stack, and they each find themselves drawing a breath at the appearance of the other.

"Do you need some help?" Alex husks softly, clearing her throat, after several seconds of quiet eye contact.

"I, uh- yeah, yeah! If you, um... don't mind." She smiles shyly.

Setting her near-empty coffee cup at the base of the building, Alex stands to slide two boxes off the top of the pile, "Not at all."

They empty the surprisingly packed car in silence. Quick lingering gazes and timid smiles shared in passing as they work. Eventually Alex hefts the final box into the store, lowering it gently to the place the blonde had indicated.

"Thank you." She sighs, a soft smile dancing on her lips. "Seriously, I'm... new here and I mean, there's not exactly anyone I call or anything, but still... I didn't... exactly anticipate it being quite the, uh... excursion."

Humming out a soft laugh at the blonde's rambling, Alex watches her fondly, "Anytime."

"I'm, um... Piper. By the way. Piper Chapman."

"Alex," she murmurs, extending her hand to grasp Piper's, offered politely between them. "Alex Vause."

"Oh." Piper's eyebrows jump slightly, her grip tightening on Alex's hand. "Of the, uh... next door?"

Another rumbling chuckle, "Yeah."

"Oh, well... pleased to meet you... _Alex_." Their gazes lock and Alex can't quite stop the enchanted smile stealing across her face as Piper's blue eyes shine warmly at her.

"You too... _Piper_." She murmurs, finally allowing their hands to drop, "Hope to you see you around again soon."

She backs slowly towards the door, Piper's shining gaze following her every move, before finally turning and slipping back into the now gathering dusk.

"Yeah... you too." Piper murmurs thoughtfully to her empty shop.

She's been there for nearly a month when Alex finds her struggling quietly outside her shop once again. This time, wrestling with the smaller half door, stubbornly refusing to open. She watches silently for a moment, taking a slow sip of her coffee before ambling lazily towards the blonde.

"Need a hand?"

Piper turns, meeting her gaze, before returning her attention to the unmoving door.

"Yeah, I can't... this stubborn thing won't... _fucking_... open!" She grumbles quietly, shaking angrily at the door as if repeatedly pulling it back and forth will eventually somehow work. Alex muffles a quiet grin.

"Yeah, this thing's a bitch, you gotta..." She steps towards the blonde, handing her her cup of cooling coffee, "D'you mind?"

"No, please," Piper murmurs tiredly, "have at it."

Sliding a hand slowly up the edge of the door, Alex pounds abruptly, three times, just above the latch bolt, before kicking swiftly at the bottom corner. The door swings open. Piper's jaw drops.

"How did you..."

Chuckling, she plucks her coffee out of the blonde's loose grip, turning back to study her work. "Like I said, this thing's a bitch. But it's an old trick Greta figured out, _fuck-knows-how_, that always seems to work."

"Amazing." Piper murmurs quietly, still eyeing the now open door. "Thank you." she murmurs as she turns back towards Alex, "_Again_. God, I really must be starting to seem pathetic here, huh?"

Failing to bite back her growing grin, Alex ducks to hide her mouth behind her coffee cup, taking another sip. "I think it's more _endearing_, actually." she murmurs, a twinkle in her eye.

"Well..." Piper smiles, studying the older woman quietly as she slowly unfurls her own soft grin. "I guess I'll take that."

They once again find themselves sharing a comfortable silence, gazes locked as a million tumultuous thoughts fly through their heads one after the other. Eventually Piper breaks her stare, her eyes flicking up and down the rest of Alex's body before returning to settle at her gaze. Alex smirks.

"I'll see you around, Piper Chapman."

"See you around... Alex Vause."

She takes the few short steps to her shop backwards. Piper holds her gaze. They depart with giddy smiles.

They're nearly at the two month mark when Piper pokes her head through Alex's door one day. Looking up from the computer at her desk, her eyes soften when they take in the familiar figure of the blonde.

"_Hey_." She husks warmly.

"Hey." Piper smiles. "Listen, uh... the delivery place I just ordered from accidentally sent me an extra, and I'm... _terrible_ with leftovers... do you, um... would you be interested in it?"

Pushing away from her desk with a stretch, Alex slides her glasses atop her head. "Sure, whatcha got?"

"Thai? That place down the block."

"Mm! Yes. You sure know the way to a woman's heart, Piper Chapman."

Ducking her head with a quiet laugh, Alex watches the faintest shade of red dust across the blonde's grinning cheeks. "Well, had I known it were _that_ easy I would have "accidentally" placed a double order months ago." She lifts her head, gaze returning to Alex's own once more, "Want me to bring it over?"

"Nah, I was just about to close up for lunch anyway, I'll come over to yours."

"Okay."

And that's how it becomes a regular thing. It was a much quicker process, Alex muses thoughtfully one day, than establishing a daily lunch routine with Greta had been. It'd taken the older woman nearly half a year to warm up enough to begin TALKING to Alex, let alone EAT with her. But if Alex is honest, there are a _lot_ of things she might like a little more about Piper Chapman than she ever did Greta these days.

They alternate between the two shops. Piper's on the warmer days, Alex's on the cooler. They take the time to gradually get to know one another (Piper Chapman, post-college WASP who'd always had a certain fondness for floral since helping her grandmother tend to her extravagant garden as a child) (And Alex Vause, daughter of a forgotten rockstar and dedicated mother who'd gotten kicked out of _more than one_ class throughout her grade school-career for drawing on herself or others) Piper's endlessly fascinated when she finds out about all the piercings and tattoos Alex can perform. Alex is quietly amused when Piper spouts fact after endless fact about plants she'd never even knew existed, and slowly they began to grow comfortable with each other. Swinging in and out of each other's shops on a whim, moving through each other's spaces as if it'd always been _theirs_, sharing quiet wordless conversations from across a room as they waited for one to finish up with a browsing customer. They fit together suddenly and comfortably as if they'd known each other their entire lives.

Piper's lounging lazily against one of Alex's old leather couch one night, flicking idly through a magazine as she waits for her to finish up with a particularly stubborn client before they close up for the night. The girl's been hemming and hawing and turning down every one of Alex's suggestions for the past hour as the brunette slowly begins to lose patience with her. Everything's too scary, or too dark, or _too_ lighthearted, or too impersonal. Alex is close to breaking point, telling the girl to go home and sleep on it, and return in the morning with a fresh idea ("But if I go now I'll never get up the courage to come back, no, we better do this _tonight_.") when Piper finally seems to take an interest in the conversation.

"Y'know, actually... I just got this rare collection of native Hawaiian flowers in yesterday, some of them are pretty extraordinary. Sort of dark and foreboding while still remaining elegant and beautiful. Do you maybe wanna see if you can come up with an idea from one of those?"

The girl's face alights instantly, as she sits up in excitement, "My grandmother was from Hawaii! That could be a really cool idea!"

"Well come on over, I'll unlock the shop for you and we can see if we can find anything."

She glides excitedly towards the door, slipping giddily into the night to wait for Piper. Piper's eyes trail from the slowly closing door to the brunette before her, finding Alex watching her intently with a dazed sort of wonder.

"You owe me." She murmurs teasingly before slipping out after the girl.

They return fifteen minutes later with a delicately presented flower and Alex can't help meeting Piper's gaze every time she pulls away to wipe at the girl's skin. Piper's eyes are already on hers every time. The girl eventually departs with an overabundance of kind words, promising to send all her friends to either shop anytime they should need a piercing, or tattoo, or floral arrangement.

"Y'know, when I started this job, I promised myself I was never gonna be one of those artists who settled for _'a flower'_." Alex muses quietly as she slowly cleans down her room for the night. Piper's watching her quietly when she turns to meet her gaze. "But then again, I never knew something so simple as _a flower_ could be so intricately beautiful."

"You'd be surprised." Piper murmurs softly. "Often times intricate beauty can be found in the places we never think to look."

"Hmm." Alex hums thoughtfully.

They finish the rest of their work in silence, conversing only through shared gazes and gentle lingering touches. And Alex watches Piper until she disappears from sight when they utter a soft gentle goodbye outside Alex's doors, promising to see one another again tomorrow.

"Okay, be serious, do people actually get their nipples pierced or is it just something girls do for their begging boyfriends?"

They're in Alex's shop, a slow night, Piper's closed the doors to her own shop and has now spent the last half hour perusing the walls of Alex's. Pictures of her work, examples of her repertoire, declarations of her talent adorn the faded walls and Piper takes each one of them in slowly.

A genuine bark of laughter slips from Alex's lungs as she tosses her head back. "Are you asking me if people _legitimately_ get their nipples pierced or if people _willingly_ get their nipples pierced?"

"Both." The blonde chirps, fighting back her own grin.

"Well then, the answer is yes. On both counts. People legitimately get their nipples pierced _because they want to_."

She narrows her eyes, studying the older woman for a moment, before casting a skeptical gaze across the room, Alex watching her fondly. "I dunno..."

"I've got mine pierced."

"No you don't." Piper's head whips around so quick Alex thinks she must have given herself whiplash. Her eyebrows shooting to her hairline before sinking in narrow-eyed accusation.

"Yeah. I do." She chuckles.

"Show me." Alex's own eyebrows jump in slight surprise, a knowing grin sliding across her face as a redness creeps across the blonde's at her sudden realization of what she'd just asked. She's pulling her shirt over her head though before Piper can recollect herself.

"Only because you asked so nicely."

The blonde splutters in helpless embarrassment for a moment, catching the discarded t-shirt as Alex chucks it casually at her. Her teasing grin only growing wider as she reaches behind herself to unclasp her bra. Piper's eyes fell to her exposed chest immediately, and Alex can't help the chuckle that escapes her throat at the younger woman's tinting cheeks.

"_Oh_." She murmurs softly, gaze still fixated on the shining nubs adorning the brunette's nipples. Her arm reaches up of it's own violation, hovering just out of reach of Alex's chest. "Can I-?"

Cocking an eyebrow quietly at the blonde's new found courage, Alex nods shortly. Shuffling the t-shirt to one hand, Piper's tentative hand continued it's journey, landing gently against the cool metal of the studs.

"Can you feel that?" She murmurs softly.

"Mmhmm." Alex murmurs, biting her lower lip softly as the side of Piper's finger brushed against the edge of her nipple.

"Did it hurt?"

"Kind of. At first. Feels really good after they've healed though."

Piper hummed thoughtfully, her fingers still dancing against the warming metal of the piercing.

"And you did this for _yourself_?" She murmurs, eyes darting to Alex's before returning to her chest.

"Well I _am_ the one who gets the most enjoyment out of them during sex, so..." She trails off, her head dipping to the side as she fights another grin.

"That's so crazy." Piper whispers in her still-soft tone, lost in deep thought. She has yet to move her hand from Alex's chest and she watches the younger woman closely as she plays absently with the stud, seemingly unaware of her actions and the subtle effects they're having on the brunette.

"Well... I could do yours, if you want." she begins, giving up in her fight against the teasing grin attempting to take control of her features, "Y'know... since you seem to be enjoying them so much."

Piper's gaze darts back up to meet hers, her hand stilling on her chest before pulling away abruptly.

"I- oh god, I'm sorry! I didn't- shit."

Laughing softly, Alex reaches for the forgotten shirt hanging limply in the blonde's loose grip as Piper stutters helplessly.

"It's fine, kid." She grins, pulling the t-shirt over her head, forgoing the bra she'd pulled off earlier. Leaning in to murmur, "I didn't say I didn't like it." as she slips past the suddenly silent blonde, heading towards her desk.

She busies herself with gathering her jacket, straightening up the last little bit of mess left around the desk (she'll deal with it tomorrow), and shutting down her computer for the night as the blonde gathers herself on the other side of the room.

"I don't think you could _ever_ talk me into that." Piper eventually mutters.

Alex looks up, meeting her gaze, as she zips her jacket up under her chin. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I love my nipples too much. It hurts them just _thinking_ about it."

Another soft chuckle rumbles from Alex's throat, "_Well_... _mine_ have done nothing but _thank_ me for it. I'm telling you. It's worth it."

"I'd sooner let you talk me into a tattoo." Piper murmurs, and Alex's eyes light up, her movements stilling.

"Well, _that_ can also be arranged."

"Aha ha. No. No. Never gonna happen. I said I'd let you talk me into a tattoo _sooner_ than a nipple piercing, that does not mean I want _either_."

"C'mon, Pipes, not even one of your pretty little flowers?" She teases, making her way over to the blonde. "I think it's hilarious that you'd sooner get a tattoo though, you know _those_ are the permanent ones, right?"

"Ha, ha! Yes. Smartass. I know tattoos are 'the permanent ones'." She rolls her eyes, biting back a grin as she nudges her shoulder into Alex's, "I just... can't deal with the whole... _piercing_... part." She shudders.

"We'll definitely have to find you a charming little flower then." Alex laughs, flipping the switch to bathe the store in darkness as they slip out the door and into the night. She speaks over her shoulder to the blonde as she turns to lock up the shop for the night, "I'm thinking something wispy... but strong. Poisonous maybe. One of those ones that looks so beautiful to want to ran your fingers over it, but know if you do you'll end up regretting it."

Piper's watching her with a gently amused smirk when she turns back around, studying her quietly before muttering, "Lookit you, gettin' all deep n' poetic."

"I'm a tortured soul." Alex laments.

They head off to their cars, their soft laughter carrying on the gentle breeze of the night.

"So I'll pencil you in for sometime next month then, Chapman!" Alex calls as Piper pauses beside her vehicle, turning to shoot the older woman a choice gesture before climbing in.

"Goodnight, Alex!"

"Night, Piper."

It only takes another two months for Piper to end up on Alex's table.

They'd shared a quiet dinner, having closed the shops early after a painfully slow day of business. Alex had suggested they "lazy-splurge"; order out from one of the "better" restaurants several blocks down, pickup a six pack and bottle of wine from the store down the street, and have themselves a cozy dinner sprawled across her couches and catching up on their Netflix. Piper doesn't have to think twice to agree.

She tosses Piper a spare key, (the blonde heading out to pickup the food, while the brunette runs out to grab the booze) telling her to let herself back in if she, for some reason, happens to return first. They're full of happily eaten food, warm emotions, and maybe a little too much alcohol when Piper starts telling her about the garden her Grandmother had had, the one that'd inspired her to open the shop in the first place. Alex listens intently, her thumb drawing small patterns against Piper's inner wrist as she talks.

"You should get it." She murmurs quietly, after Piper finishes describing the flower that had been her Grandmother's favorite.

"What?" Piper whispers, eyes trailing the steady strokes of Alex's thumb.

"That flower. That's the one you should get tattooed. For your Grandmother. For you."

Piper's eyes glaze over as she pulls her gaze from their hands to Alex's, "Alex..."

"C'mon, Pipes... I promise, it'll be beautiful. We'll put it somewhere small, somewhere you can hide it. But somewhere _you_ can see it, to remind yourself of her. Of why you do this."

"I dunno..." Piper murmurs quietly, soft hesitance.

"C'mon..." Alex whispers, leaning in, "You know I'll take good care of you... let me turn you into a canvas."

Whatever small resolve Piper had had left vanishes as she gives into the soft imploring words of brunette. "_Okay_."

"_Okay?_"

"_Yes_."

They flick through Alex's computer, tirelessly searching for the perfect image. When they settle on the one they want Alex asks her gently where she wants it, ("Somewhere easy to hide, but easy for me to see..." Piper ponders softly, trailing off to fix the brunette with a helpless stare) her hand landing lightly against Piper's hip bone, thumb tracing the seam of the bone. _Here_. Piper slowly unzips her pants, shimmying out of them completely as Alex begins preparing her tools. She pauses as she turns back around, her eyes locking on Piper's newly exposed skin, gaze trailing slowly up and down her legs.

"_Ready_?"

"Yeah."

She grabs Alex's hand before she begins. A quiet panic settling low in her eyes.

"It's not gonna hurt is it? Like a lot?"

"A little bit." Alex murmurs, stroking her knuckles with her thumb, "It's like a cat scratch. And it won't be all one long continuous thing. There are breaks, whenever I wipe away the build up." She pauses, brushing a strand of blonde hair across Piper's forehead, "And I'll be right here. All you have to say is '_stop_'."

"Okay." Piper breathes, a quiet sigh, as if expelling all the pent up fear and anxieties and inhaling Alex's soft words.

"Okay?"

She nods, a small smile as her blue eyes lock with Alex's green. "Yeah."

It's a slow process. But much more delicate than Piper had imagined. She flinches here and there, but quickly discovers that the pain isn't the sensation she need worry about. Alex's fingers dance _dangerously_ close to the center of her legs, her elbow resting firmly down Piper's thigh, and every time she pulls the needle away to swipe her towel across the ink her fingertips graze Piper's skin in a way that has her sucking in mouthfuls of air like a dying man. She can feel Alex's warm breath drifting gently over the skin of her waist as she works, occasionally catches her eye and gentle grin. A slow moisture begins to gather between her legs.

Her eyes are squeezed shut, her breathing deep and measured and Alex pulls away, tucking another strand of hair behind her ear.

"You okay, kid?"

Her eyes shoot open, meeting Alex's gentle green. "_Yeah_."

Alex's hand stills, fingers loosely cupping her jaw as she studies the blonde's rising chest and blown pupils. A knowing smirk slowly unfurls from the corners of her mouth as she retracts her hand, bending down slowly to resume her work.

She's lost in the sensation of Alex's touch when the brunette finally pulls away for good.

"Alright?" She tilts her head down, inspecting Alex's work. "I think we should add a little shading of color around the edges here, but that can wait for another time."

"Can I... touch it?" She asks tentatively.

"Yeah, just be careful, it'll be a little raw for the next few days."

Her fingertips skim the design gently, tracing over the still tingling paths that Alex's had left.

"It's beautiful, Alex... really."

"Yeah?" The brunette smiles, turning back to resume cleaning her tools. "You're a good subject. I definitely think I can talk you into a piercing next."

Scoffing disgustedly, Piper swings her legs over the edge of the table, pulling herself into a sitting position. "_That_, is never going to happen."

"That's what you said about the tattoo, too, and yet..." She trails off teasingly.

"I will let you near me with a needle, but a giant fucking piercing instrument of destruction and pain, no way."

"I'm telling you, Pipes, totally worth it in the long run." She turns back towards the blonde as she cleans, gesturing towards the center of her legs, "Look, you've already got your pants off, I could easily give you a nice quick clit piercing."

Squeezing her legs together and scrunching up her face, Piper squeals, "NEVER!"

Alex's husky chuckle is the only response she gets as she returns to cleaning up the area. Piper watches her quietly, eyes tracing the contours of her back, taking note of how the muscles rippled and bunched under the thing fabric of her tank top.

"Do _you_ have anything else pierced?" She asks suddenly, all fake innocence and soft curiosity.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Alex murmurs, biting back a grin, her teeth sinking gently into her bottom lip.

"I would... that's why I asked." There's a quiet fire in her blue eyes as she meets Alex's gaze with an overwhelming sense of confidence and _challenge_. They're leaning into one another's space now. No place to go but forward (or back out completely, but as far as Alex is concerned that is absolutely _not_ an option).

"Maybe you should find out."

Their lips meet in a blaze, the rest of the world and their conversation forgotten as they leaned into each other desperately. Alex's hands rise to cup Piper's jaw, pulling her impossibly closer as their lips dance heatedly. She wraps her legs around Alex's hips, pulling her down towards her on the table. Hands skimming up the side of Piper's bare thighs, Alex squeezes once, twice, three times before sliding them up to wrap around Piper's hips. Careful to avoid the newly raw skin she breaks their kiss to eye her handy work for a moment before diving back in.

Piper's moaning low in the back of her throat as Alex's lips work their way across her neck. Her fingers tangle in the hem of Alex's tank top and she pulls, yanking it over the older woman's head. Shaking her hair free with a soft growl, Alex leans in once again, determined to leave her mark on Piper's neck. Piper's hips are pressing needily against her own and suddenly the blonde withdraws with a sharp gasp.

"_Fuck_."

"What? Are you okay?"

"Ow. Fuck. Yeah. My tattoo though..."

Angling her head down, Alex studies their position before throwing a quick gaze around the room. Her hands slide from Piper's hips to under her ass as Alex heaves her into her arms and carries her from the room. Piper squeals quietly, her legs winding tighter against the older woman's hips as she shifts against her. Carrying them to the couch, she drops down with a heavy sigh. Piper's straddled across her lap, knees digging into the soft cushions of the worn leather.

"Better?"

"Better."

Their lips reconnect, Piper's fingers fumbling blindly behind Alex, in search of the clasp to her bra. Eventually succeeding, she grins against Alex's gasping mouth. The bra gets tossed aside carelessly as Piper pulls away from their kiss once more. Her eyes rake across Alex's newly exposed chest, lingering on the straining nipples and their shining studs.

"I haven't stopped thinking about your tits since you showed them to me." Piper murmurs, fingers skimming the sides of Alex's chest in feather-light touches. Alex chuckles deeply, chest rumbling with the vibrations of her laughter.

"What exactly have you been thinking about them?" She asks lowly.

"That I wonder what those shiny little studs'll feel like inside my mouth."

She's powerless to stop the groan that escapes her lips at the blonde's words, or the second that follows quickly after, as Piper's lips wrap delicately around said studs.

"_Fuck... Piper..._" Her head tilting back against the couch, Alex's gaze sweeps the ceiling, unseeingly. She's quickly becoming lost in the sensations of Piper's lips sucking gently, and Piper's tongue toying insistently with the cool little bar. Her hand weaves it's way into the blonde's hair, fingers tangling among the lose strands as she anchors the girl to her chest. Piper's fingers move to toy with her other nipple and Alex arches sharply, gasping at the heightening stimulation.

"Mmm..." Piper murmurs, pulling away from Alex's chest to blow a stream of cool air against the damp and straining nipple. "I don't think I've ever been with someone who's nipples are this sensitive before."

"Told you," Alex grunts, "worth it."

"I think I might be able to get you off with just nipple play alone."

She grunts sharply again as Piper tugs gently at the swollen bud, her hips thrusting up to meet the blonde's as she bucks under the attention. Taking advantage of Alex's momentary deliriousness, Piper leans back far enough to pull her own shirt over her head. Alex's fingers run up her back in a steady arch, fingernails digging lightly into her shoulder blades as Piper pulls her bra down her arms, tossing it carelessly across the room.

Alex's lips are on her chest the moment it appears and Piper arches back into the steady pressure of the brunette's hands, keeping her upright.

"_Uh... Alex..._" She whispers breathlessly.

"Just imagine how good this would feel with a piercing." Alex murmurs around a nipple. Piper pinches hers in response, causing the brunette to jerk against her chest with a gasp, teeth grazing Piper's swollen bud in the process.

They shudder simultaneously, catching one another's eye with a quick laugh.

"C'mere." Alex murmurs, pulling Piper's face down to meet her own.

Their lips dance lazily, Piper's fingers skimming up and down Alex's sides, tickling her gently. They break apart for air and Piper takes the opportunity to slide her chest against Alex's, starting low at her stomach and stretching up until her heaving chest is parallel to Alex's face. Alex clutches her closer, letting out a quiet moan as their slick and heated skin glides together. Piper continues the action several more time, rubbing against Alex until she finally catches the back of her neck, stilling her.

She reconnects their lips, her free hand sliding down Piper's back, to slip beneath the top of her underwear. Squeezing gently at her firm cheeks she grins as Piper bucks against her. Slowly removing her hand, she pulls the thin scrap of fabric down with her. Resting her forehead against Piper's chin, she sweeps her gaze greedily over the newly uncovered skin, eyeing the damp spot decorating the underwear in her hand before tossing them aside and sliding a hand up Piper's thigh.

Still holding the younger woman by the back of the neck, her free hand rises to trace the seam of her folds. A gathering dampness meets her explorative fingers and she bites back another moan that threatens to fall from her lungs at Piper's eagerness. Piper grinds against her suddenly and without warning, trapping Alex's hand between their hips. Regripping the back of her neck Alex shifts her own hips, stilling her.

"Easy there, tiger. What's the rush."

"Don't tease me, Alex, seriously, you have no idea how long I've waited for this."

Cocking an eyebrow in mild surprise, Alex drags her nose across the blonde's jaw, nuzzling gently into the space behind her ear as her teeth scrape lightly at the bone. "Trust me, kid, I _know_."

Piper whimpers once, needily, and Alex runs a firm finger through her folds, dipping lowly across her pooling entrance and brushing lightly at her swollen clit. The blonde grinds her hips again and Alex pulls her hand free, pushing herself straighter against the edge of the couch. The hand at the nape of Piper's neck wraps tighter as her other hand slides around the blonde's back to steady her. All at once Alex pulls her down against herself, grinding the seam of jeans into the blonde's wet cunt. Piper whimpers breathlessly, her hips grinding against Alex's in return and she watches in fascination as the younger woman gives herself over to a primal sort of instinct.

"_Yes_." Piper murmurs breathlessly. "_Yes... more Alex... more..._"

Snaking her hand between them once again, Alex's thumb finds her throbbing clit and she presses against it roughly. Piper shouts once, grinding her hips down harder as Alex slips her fingers into Piper's warm wet channel. Her head falls back with a primal growl as she works her hips over Alex's own hips and hand, Alex watching her quietly and she holds the writhing blonde steady.

When she feels Piper approaching climax she pulls back, steadying her once again. It takes the blonde a moment to comprehend the loss, her head snapping forward, blown-pupil eyed gaze searching desperately for Alex's.

"What-?"

The rest of the question dies on her lips as the older woman throws an arm around her waist and turns them.

Stretching out beneath Piper's splayed legs as stretches along the length of the couch she grins, murmuring, "If you wanna ride, then ride."

Yanking the blonde down, she snakes her tongue up between her legs, sucking greedily at the wet cunt before her. It takes Piper a moment to recover herself before she begins meeting Alex's ministrations thrust for thrust. Her hand falls to the arm of the sofa before her as she struggles to steady herself against the onslaught of pleasure Alex's mouth is doling out upon her. Her fingers soon find their way back between Piper's folds and it's all the blonde can do not to lose it completely as she thrusts two sharp fingers in her at once.

She's gasping and moaning and writhing and twisting and it's all Alex can do to keep her grip on the blonde as Piper loses herself in an overwhelming wave of pleasure.

"_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_" She chants quietly, hips spasming erratically against Alex's face.

Working her slowly down from her orgasm, Alex carefully slides out from under the blonde, once she's sure she's caught her breathe and returned to the right frame of mind. Adjusting them so they're once again face to face, she makes sure Piper's raw hip is angled away from any pressure points before tucking the blonde gently against her chest.

"_Wow_." Piper murmurs, lungs still heaving heavily.

"I know right?" Alex laughs.

"Why did we wait so long to do that?"

Alex's husky laugh is her only response and Piper grins against the woman's vibrating chest as it rumbles soothingly around her. She's toying absently with one of Alex's nipples again, lightly pulling it and twisting her fingers against the metal piercing as they lay in relative silence, content for the moment to simply enjoy the soft feeling of one another's skin.

Eventually Alex lets out a soft sigh, her hand coming up to stroke against Piper's wrist, stilling the inquisitive fingers against her chest.

"Not that I don't _love_ what you're doing," She murmurs, burying her nose against the head of blonde hair atop her ribs, "and I really... _really_ fucking love what you're doing..." Piper's fingers squeeze once more in teasing acknowledgement, "but how would you feel about taking this party back to my place? I have spent one too many nights on this couch as it is, and I know for a fact if I spend any more time on it tonight my back is going to be _screaming_ at me tomorrow morning."

Piper's head had turned to face her, halfway through her quiet sentiments, blue eyes now studying her with a soft shine she'd previously had yet to see from them. An enchanting sort of after-glow, she muses, tracing a thumb down Piper's cheekbone as they study one another quietly.

"You're place, huh?" Piper muses softly, gaze breaking to trail around the room, "You mean this isn't where you live?"

"Ha, ha. Asshole. No more than next door is where _you_ live."

"Next door isn't where I live!?" She exclaims, her eyes wide with comical surprise.

"Okay, Blondie, terrible jokes are _my_ thing." She growls playfully, pulling the younger woman closer to drop a slow kiss to her lips.

"Mmm... but I'm so good at them." Piper murmurs teasingly.

"You could stand to learn a thing or two."

Piper hums happily against her mouth once more as they share another slow sweet kiss, before rolling off one another. Standing to collect her discarded clothes, Piper wanders the shop in all her glory for a moment, Alex watching her lazily from her position on the couch. Tossing a sultry gaze over her shoulder as she bends to pick up her underwear Piper murmurs, "Like what you see?"

"Mmm... yes." Alex murmurs back, rolling to her side to face the blonde more fully. "I think it's a sight I could get used to. You naked." She pauses, eyes taking in their surroundings for a moment before landing back on the blonde. "Not here though. We should probably try to refrain from having hot sex in my place of business again."

Humming out a laugh as she shimmies into her clothing Piper murmurs, "Well there's always _my_ place of business."

Alex's arms slide around her as she finishes dressing, and she leans into the older woman's embrace, "We should probably try to stick with keeping our sex _out_ of our areas of business."

"Zero for one, the odds are against us." Piper murmurs.

"Mm... fuck, you're right." Alex laughs, pulling away to collect her own clothes.

"We tried."

"A valiant effort."

"No one can take that away from us."

They come together once more in the center of Alex's floor, fully redressed and sluggishly moving. Share another kiss. Then another (and another). As they help each other into their jackets. Alex flips the lights, curling her arm around Piper's waist and pulling the blonde against her as they exit the building. Piper leans heavily against her back as she turns to lock the place up for the night, straightening suddenly as she remembers something.

"Oh, shit, here..." She mumbles, fumbling around her pockets as Alex watches on in curious amusement, "I should give you... your key..."

"Keep it." She murmurs, halting the blonde's search.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you should probably have one anyway. In case of... emergencies... or whatever. Greta always had one." laughing gently at the blonde's delayed hesitance, she wraps her arm around Piper's waist once more, tugging her with her towards the direction of her car. "What're you gonna do, rob me?"

"I could." Piper murmurs, "You have no idea what kind of person I am."

"_I've got a pretty good one_." Alex husks, pressing herself against the blonde, who was now trapped between her and the car door. Capturing her lips in a gentle kiss, she raises her arms to cup her jaw, pulling back softly to look her in her crystal blue eyes. "C'mon, kid... let's go home."

* * *

><p>I'd like to thank Orange-Dandelion and alcohol.<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

well you finally wore me down.  
>a continuation of chapter 3. <strong>[RATED M]<strong> (obviously.)

* * *

><p>Piper Chapman can't quite pinpoint the exact moment Alex Vause slips from her life.<p>

Was it with the quiet haze of the morning as she slipped from her bed for the final time? Or was it in the hallways of the school, when she'd moved passed her for the last time, sparing not a single glance, as if they weren't intimately familiar with every nerve ending in one another's bodies?

Or was it in the last time Piper Chapman allows herself to think of Alex Vause before pushing the memory from her mind for good?

They last just over a year. Intimately. The kind of intimacy that comes with the gentle exploration of skin and soft gasps and tender touches (because they'd always been _intimate_, but the physical manifestation brought along an entirely new meaning to the word). It doesn't exactly become any sort of _thing_ though. For the most part they continue on as they've always been, best friends. _Best friends who occasionally like to explore each other's naked bodies_. And in hindsight they'll wonder if that was the first step in their inevitable downfall. It starts easily enough, and it flourishes naturally in the summer, like some sort of slowly blooming flower. A secret beautiful thing. A hidden world shrunken down to the existence of two people. Nothing existed outside of _each other_ and it's a routine they fall into so _easily_.

But it doesn't last.

Because in reality they're young, and scared, and from two different worlds and they've only been pretending otherwise. They don't know what they're doing and neither knows how to ask and eventually the pressures of school, and home, and life start to wheedle in between them. There is no resounding fight. No earth shattering tipping point. Which is almost, in a way, worse. They don't shatter all at once, but instead crumble slowly. In that painful way of a gradual decaying. Once-comforting familiarity slowly being replaced by a suffocating awkwardness that begins to creep in when two people slowly start to realize they're drifting away from one another.

Piper begins taking up extracurricular activities, begins preparing for college and the future and _life_. And Alex begins dropping classes, begins losing interest in academic endeavors (because what's the point when there is no college, or future, or _life_). And gradually their time together grows few and far between (and suddenly their precious few moments alone are laden with stress and irritability). And the images they maintain become more and more important (suddenly Piper Chapman is a name that carries meaning, and Alex Vause is a name that spells trouble). And the opinions of the company they keep becomes a heavier and heavier weight (because what are you supposed to say when your friends start asking _"why is someone like **you** hanging out with someone like **her**?"_). And gradually their once-comfortable silences become tense and awkward. Until Alex Vause slips from Piper Chapman's life for good.

Bobby Prescott asks Piper on a date three months into the school year.

She tells him she thinks she's got plans with Alex and he laughs. ("That dyke? I heard she almost got caught fucking Sylvie Sumner in the stairwell last week.") She tries not to look as shaken as she feels.

"I heard you slept with Sylvie Sumner." She mumbles in what she desperately hopes is a casual tone the next time they're sitting in her room.

"Hardly." Alex scoffs. "I went down on her. I wouldn't exactly say we _fucked_."

"Oh." Piper murmurs.

She goes on the date with Bobby Prescott.

They're a week away from another summer the last time Alex Vause steps foot inside Piper's house.

They move slowly this time, an unspoken change from their once eager rush to explore each other, and quiver against each other late into the night. Piper's barely awake when Alex slips out with the morning, a muffled apology about plans with her mom falling from her lips.

She doesn't let herself cry.

But she later knows it to be the last time she'll share her bed with Alex Vause.

They don't see a lot of each other after that. She throws herself into her activities. Pushes herself to the top of the honor roll. Takes her team to the state championships. Buries herself in applying for colleges. She _excels_. And the more she throws herself into the world around her the less she begins to think about Alex Vause. And before she knows it high school is over. And the last time she sees Alex Vause they're wearing caps and gowns.

Her routine carries over to college, and she throws herself into everything she can there too. Loses herself in meaningless relationships and mediocre sex. Begins to think she's finally got a hold on what this young-adulthood thing really is. She doesn't come home often, there's not a lot of reason for her to, Polly's gone to the same college and time away from her family has made her realize how much more appealing they are from a distance. But they're coming up on their senior year (She'd finished her final final as a junior six hours ago) and somehow Polly has convinced her to return home for the summer.

She's just begun to grow irritated with the criticizing naggings of her mother when Polly finally convinces her to join her for an unofficial high school reunion. Nicky Nichols is in town and is apparently throwing the rager of the century. She only agrees to get out of the house. And maybe because she's forgotten what it was like to let loose.

The house is brimming with wild energy when they walk in. Piper easily recognizes the majority of their graduating class. _Seems like everyone is back in town this summer_. She hadn't intended to get drunk. Is only half a beer into the party when she spots her.

_Alex_.

Piper freezes, her blood running cold. She looks different, older, and yet achingly familiar, as if an entire lifetime has passed and yet no time at all. Piper tries to ignore her, ignore the plunging feeling in her stomach, the rolling nerves slowly building to a sort of nausea. Alex doesn't notice her. And Piper's one beer turns to two, turns to four, turns to something sharp mixed from a bucket that she's too far gone to question the hazards of.

She tries to avoid her, she really does. Eventually tells herself it's easier to _avoid_ Alex if she's constantly aware of where Alex _is_. And so she's soon spending her night watching the brunette from the shadows and drowning herself in drink after drink.

She's with another girl, blonde, (_like me_, Piper thinks, and _I wonder if she thinks of me when her fingers tangle tightly in that blonde hair_). She ignores the burning tightness in her chest, the growing lump in her stomach, chalks it up to the slow dizziness of the alcohol. She can't tear her eyes away as Alex leans in, drapes her arm over the girl, laughs with her. She can't tear her eyes away when she leans in for a quick kiss. Watches with burning eyes until the vision distorts and disappears.

"_Piper_!"

It's Polly. She's moved to stand between Piper and her line of sight, effectively breaking the spell.

She blinks, once, twice, shakes her head clear, "What?"

"A bunch of people are heading downstairs to play some party games."

She catches sight of Pete and Larry hanging by the stairs.

"Are you coming?" Polly's asking when she slides her eyes back over.

She chances a glace over her shoulder, but Alex is gone. "Yeah." She mumbles.

She follows them into the dark of the basement.

It's a considerably large basement, only a handful of party-goers have made their way down. Her eyes sweep the circle, relived to find an absence of _Alex_. She settles in beside Polly, taking slow inventory of the room and all the faces who've decided to venture down. A soft hush of conversations ripples through the circle before a booming voice rings out from the stairs.

"A'right, bitches! Name'a the game's Spin The Bottle! You know the rules."

Nicky Nichols. Piper's eyes drift to the handful of stragglers trailing after her. _Alex_. She tenses, considers fleeing, but Alex has already spotted her, is suddenly focused on her like a predator eyeing it's prey. She stays seated. The blonde beside her clings to her but Alex's eyes remain on Piper. She suddenly wishes she'd grabbed another drink.

She tries not to focus on Alex and her burning stare, but still somehow manages to miss most of the first half of the game.

A sharp jolt to her ribs makes her jump. Polly's voice in her ear hissing, "It's your turn!" And the bottom of her stomach drops out.

She can feel Alex's eyes on her once more as she reaches for the bottle, prays for it to land anywhere else but her (wishes for it to do the opposite), and _spins_.

Forty-nine seconds.

Piper Chapman's life hangs in the balance for forty-nine seconds. Forty-nine seconds that feel like a lifetime.

The nozzle spins past Alex once. Twice. Five times. Eight times, and again.

It lands on Andrew Weston. Former quarterback of their senior year.

A gust of air she didn't know she'd been holding bursts from her lungs (she can't tell if it's disappointment or relief) (she doesn't examine it too closely). Andrew's friends are whooping and pounding him on the back and Polly's elbow nudges against her playfully as she whispers "Way to go, Pipes!" She tries to ignore the burning stare she can feel from the left corner of the circle, but can't quite stop herself from stealing a glance right before Andrew pulls her lips to his. She thinks she spots a scowl before Alex drops her gaze to the carpet. Her attention is on the blonde beside her by the time Andrew finally pulls away.

Alex avoids her eyes for the next fifteen minutes.

Piper's lost in her own thoughts when Nicky's voice booms out once more. "You're up, Vause! Spin us a good one!" She finishes with a wink and Piper feels her brows furrowing at it.

She keeps her gaze on Alex as she pulls herself from the blonde, leans forward, eyes remaining downcast until just before she flicks her wrist. Her gaze suddenly jumps to Piper's, and she's frozen at the intensity. _When was the last time she'd looked Alex Vause in the eye_? She doesn't know how long they hold one another's gaze (a minute? a second? a lifetime?), but the spell is only broken when she hears Polly utter a soft _"Shit."_ under her breath.

Her eyes fall to the bottle.

Dart back up to Alex to make sure she'd seen right.

And Alex looks like the calm before a storm.

A chorus of "Ooooh!"s rises from the crowd, boys nudging each other giddily, Nicky choking back a soft bark of laughter and a quiet _"Fuck!"_.

"Pipes..." Polly murmurs. And bless her, for Polly's one of the only ones in the room who knows the implications of this outcome. She doesn't know the entire story but she knows _enough_. And she's silently asking if Piper needs her to give her an out. But Alex's eyes are locked with her own once again and suddenly Piper can't fathoming running anymore. She takes a steadying breath as she meets that stormy gaze.

Moving to the center of the circle, she waits for Alex to join her, puts the ball in _her_ court (Alex Vause has never been one to back down from a challenge).

Alex is the one who pulls her in, her hand snaking to the back of Piper's neck as if it's a routine it's never forgotten. And her lips welcome Alex's own like they're welcoming home an old friend. She gasps into the kiss and swears she can feel Alex's tongue dart out, ever so slightly, as if tentatively confirming a hazy memory, before slipping back into her own mouth.

It's a brief kiss, though it feels like it lasts a lifetime, and Piper's left sitting in the center of the circle for a moment as Alex slides easily back into her seat. Nicky's sharp laughter eventually breaking her spell. Alex's eyes are avoiding hers once again and Piper suddenly finds herself sick to her stomach with the thought that she was the only one who felt anything. But Alex has always had a good poker face, and she's reminded of that when she finally catches her eye three turns later. Because Alex has always had a good poker face, but her eyes could never lie to Piper.

Eventually the round completes and a new one begins. And Piper is studiously avoiding Alex's gaze once again as she reaches out to give the bottle a spin. She'd lost what little interest she had roughly twenty minutes ago when Alex Vause's lips separated from her own. But the game wasn't over and she'd surely receive heckling if she tried to leave after one round. Her mind's barely on the game at all as she gives the bottle another spin.

She nearly misses it's decision in her distraction, because the worst has already happened, and what are the chances of having to kiss Alex Vause _twice_ in one game?

Pretty good, apparently, if the sudden whoops and cheers rising through the room are anything to go by.

"Number two, that's seven minutes in heaven!" Someone shouts.

The rest of the noise falls to a dull roar in her ears as she locks eyes with Alex's sea-green gaze. Her body's moving on it's own accord. It has to be, for if Piper had any say in the matter it'd be moving in the _opposite_ direction. Towards the stairs. Instead of the dark intimidating closet. The pulsating mass of suddenly nameless faces have pulled them up, Nicky standing with them, pushing them towards the door. Piper vaguely feels like a prisoner being sentenced to her execution.

She falters in the doorway, her gaze on the terrifying blackness inside. _This could be a metaphor_, she thinks uneasily, just before she feels Alex's presence at her back, her firm hand pressing at the base of her spine. She eases them through the doorway. Piper catches sight of Alex's face just as Nicky clicks the door closed ("Have fun, kids!" with another wink and a leering grin), and Alex looks livid. And then they're plunged into darkness.

She backs away until her back connects with the far wall of the closet, slides soundlessly to the floor. She hears Alex sigh before doing the same.

"We don't have to do anything." Piper mumbles, and Alex _laughs_. She doesn't know if it's the darkness of the closet giving her a false sense of confidence or if she's just finally reached her breaking point but something inside her snaps and Piper feels her veins flood with a thick hot anger. "You know what, Alex, I didn't _ask_ for this, okay? I didn't even want to come to this stupid party in the first place or play this stupid game, I didn't want to get stuck inside this stupid closet with _you_, I didn't even want to come home for the summer at all, but I _am_ now, and I'm just trying to make the best of it! So I'd _really_ appreciate it if you could stop acting like this is all somehow _my_ fault!"

"Oh, come off it, Piper." Alex returns, in that all-to-familiar tone of annoyed dismissal. That condescending _I'm-tolerating-you_ tone that always used to remind Piper of the year and a half between them, that always used to make her feel like she was wasting Alex's time. And suddenly Piper wants to hit her.

"Fuck you, Alex!" She hisses, and she can feel Alex's attention snap to her in full, "Fuck you! I don't know what I ever did to so royally offend you, but I'm sorry! I get that you don't want to be friends, that's fine, I don't either, but can you _at least_ treat me like I'm a fucking person instead of something you scraped off the bottom of your boot?"

Alex remains silent and just as quickly as the anger had come, Piper feels it drain from her veins.

"I don't know what I did to make you hate me." She whispers before she can stop herself and _prays_ Alex will leave it lie.

"I don't _hate_ you, Piper." She murmurs back, just as softly, almost a full minute later.

And it's Piper's turn to laugh (only hers comes out thick and wet and quietly defeated), "Coulda fooled me."

Alex heaves quiet sigh into the darkness of the closet, another several moments of silence passing between them, before answering, "I'm sorry. I never..." She pauses, huffs in frustration, "I just..." and trails off.

But Piper can hear all the unspoken words she can't seem to find in the silence. "_I know_."

They sit quietly after that, listening to the soft laughter of the on-going game. Eventually Piper loses the battle with her inner demons, and blurts out the question that's been tugging at the back of her mind ever since she spotted Alex Vause at this stupid party in the first place.

"Do you ever... think about it?"

Alex scoffs, "Do _you_?"

Piper's cheeks redden under the faint light of the dark room, her gaze dropping to the hem of her jeans as she picks awkwardly at a loose thread.

"_Do_ you?" Alex presses. And it's all suddenly more than she can take. The soft dizziness of the alcohol, the rolling turmoil of her emotions, the intoxicating presence of Alex Vause and the _infuriating_ lack of effect the night seems to be having on _her_. Piper can feel a heady panic welling up inside her. Suddenly the closet is too small, too suffocating, too dark. Suddenly she's overwhelmingly claustrophobic.

"I don't- I mean- This was stupid." She mumbles, pushing herself to her feet and darting from the closet before Alex can stop her.

"Piper!" She calls after her. She's halfway to the stairs when Alex finally catches her around the bicep.

"_Alex_." She pleads, and Alex takes note of the gathering tears threatening to fall. "Please, just... this was a mistake. I'm going."

Alex's gaze sweeps the room and the quiet, curious attention they've drawn, Polly is hovering tensely at the edge of the circle ready to jump to Piper's defense (Alex pins her with a look that has her settling back into her seat), Nicky's eyeing them quietly with unrestrained interest (Alex fixes _her_ with a look that tells her the party is over, and she knows Nicky will make sure they're not bothered). She tightens her grip around Piper's arm and pulls her up the stairs.

"_We're not gonna do this here_." She mutters.

Somewhere between the bottom of the stairs and the top, Piper begins to cry. Between the alcohol, the party, and the emotional roller coaster of the last few hours she's a mess by the time Alex drags her into the kitchen. The party had begun dying out, most of the action having been moved to the basement, and they're blessedly alone in the quiet kitchen.

She deposits Piper into a chair, grabbing a glass from the counter and filling it with water, "Here." she murmurs, passing it to her.

Piper resists for a moment before finally deciding that conceding to Alex is easier than fighting her. Trying to stand again once she's finished, she stumbles, drunk on alcohol and emotional distress.

"Where're you going?" Alex demands as Piper attempts to stumble from the room once again.

"Home."

"You can't go home, Piper! Your parents will flip out."

"I don't care." She mumbles.

"Well, you're not driving." Alex threatens.

"Yes I am."

"_No_, you're not."

She says nothing, throwing a withering look of hatred of over her shoulder, at the brunette trailing after her.

"_PIPER_."

"Oh fuck off, Alex! Go back to the party, what the fuck do you even care!?"

"What the fuck do I _care_? What if you fucking end up _wrapping your car around a telephone pole_? I don't know if you've forgotten but I was your best friend for _sixteen years_ of your life, Piper! I'd fucking _care_!"

"Yeah, Alex! _Was_. _Were_. Past Tense. You're not anymore so it's someone else's job to clean up after me, and make sure I get home safely, and _fuck_ me."

Piper's words are hurled hard and fast and Alex is taken aback at the sudden ferocity of them, temporarily faltering as Piper turns back towards the door, continuing her journey. Shaking the initial shock off, she regains herself, chasing after the blonde.

"_Dammit_, Piper!"

The blonde turns to face her abruptly once more, opening her mouth to hurl a choice selection of insults back in Alex's face.

Except.

She ends up hurling _something else _instead.

Alex jumps back back in shock as Piper turns and vomits on the spot where her feet had just been.

"_Jesus_." She mutters, eyeing the puddle of vomit before lifting her gaze back to Piper. Her eyes had gone from _watering_ to _leaking_ as she holds back from transitioning into full blown_ sobs_. "_Fuck_."

She surges forward on instinct, careful to avoid the stain setting between their feet, wraps a hand around the blonde's arm, another snaking around her hip. Too weak to fight anymore, Piper crumbles tiredly into Alex's arms, allowing the brunette to pull her gently past the front door and up the stairs to the third level. She's leading them through some sort of hallway, an assortment of different rooms and doors passing them as they weave deeper into the house.

"Where're we going?" She mumbles tiredly as Alex steers her through a doorway.

"The back guest room." Alex mutters, depositing her onto the bed.

Piper sits quietly, watching Alex move through the room, opening various drawers, collecting various items. She flips a switch, disappearing into the light pouring out of another doorway for a moment and the sound of running water kicks on. The bedroom's dark, illuminated only by the outside light pouring in through the window and the over-spilling glow from what Piper assumes to be a bathroom that Alex has disappeared into. She returns, clutching a small assortment of items.

"How do you know where everything is?" Piper mumbles quietly.

"Because I stay here a lot. C'mere." She murmurs, reaching towards Piper's face with a rag. It's warm and damp and Piper leans gratefully into it. Alex runs it gently across her chin and mouth, wiping away any excess vomit that may have been left behind. She continues to hold Piper's chin in her free hand when she sets the washcloth aside, leaning back with a new object. "Here." She murmurs softly, handing Piper the toothbrush.

She hesitates, "I don't know who's that is."

"It's mine." Rolling her eyes, she sighs as Piper continues to not move, "Nothing you haven't already _had_ in your mouth."

She grabs it quickly.

Content that she can finish the task herself from there, Alex sits back to grab another one of the items she's dug out. An old t-shirt. She tosses it onto the bed next to Piper before leaning back with an empty glass for the blonde to spit in in one hand, and a semi-full glass for rinsing in the other. Piper takes her time clearing her mouth, relishing in the minty fresh taste coating her mouth in place of the lingering taste of vomit. Alex heads back to the bathroom when she's finished and had handed her her cups.

"You should take a shower." She calls quietly from the other room.

"What?" Piper calls back a little louder.

Alex doesn't answer until she's back in the same room as the blonde, a large fluffy towel tucked under her arm, "You should take a shower. You reek of alcohol and vomit, and a little bit of pot. And you'll sleep better after." (She mumbles that second part softer, gaze dropping to fix on the towel.)

Piper says nothing, studying the brunette closely. She knows Alex is right. Knows _Alex_ knows Alex is right. Because Piper _always_ feels better after a bath, Piper always feels calmer after a shower. It's an integral part of who she is and it both stings like hell and settles like cool relief that Alex _knows_.

Alex used to know a lot of things.

She looks up from the towel when she hears the bed shift, Piper pushing herself to her feet. She pauses briefly when they're shoulder to shoulder, slowly reaching out to take the towel from Alex's limp grip. "Thanks."

Their eyes meet for a moment, a fleeting second, both so full to the brim with a million bit-back words and shoved-down thoughts. Alex nods once, her gaze dropping again. "I'll be here when you're done."

Piper says nothing. She closes the door quietly.

Alex is reclining against the bed when she reemerges. She'd spent a good 30 minutes under the warm spray of the water, quietly assessing everything that happened tonight (everything that had happened in the last five years) and letting it all wash away with the water circling the drain. Alex had moved the t-shirt to the lid of the toilet at some point and she'd eyed it wearily for a moment. The toothbrush she hadn't recognized. But the t-shirt, she did. How many of the things in this room were _Alex's_? (_I stay here a lot_) She swallows down a lump in her throat, pulls the t-shirt over her head and exits her quiet sanctuary.

Alex glances up as the door opens, eyes dipping up and down Piper's body in a once-familiar manner before she catches herself. Her attention flicks back to the book in her lap as Piper hovers in the bathroom doorway.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" She eventually drawls, pulling Piper from her thoughts.

"I, um..." She falters, and Alex's cool gaze fixes on her once more.

"What?"

"I should... get home."

She sighs. Once. Quick. Closes the book, her eyes shutting with it as she rubs a hand over her face, preparing for the next wave of arguments. "I already told you you're not going home, Piper. _You're_ too drunk,_ I'm_ too drunk, and even if there were anyone sober enough still left downstairs I wouldn't trust them with you anyway."

Any argument Piper had been brewing stopped short. Alex seems not to notice slip, or she was determined not to acknowledge it, dropping her hand from her face to fix Piper with a tired stare. She moves towards the bed, sitting gingerly at the edge.

"What are you doing?" Alex grumbles impatiently after several minutes. Piper stares vacantly at her. "Get in bed."

She eyes the spot beside Alex warily.

"Piper. I know you're fucking exhausted. I can see it all over your face. Would you please just get in the fucking bed, I'm so fucking tired of arguing with you tonight." Her eyes had fallen closed again during her irritated plea, her head tilted back on her shoulders to rest against the headboard. She looked as exhausted as Piper felt.

Heaving a quiet lung full of air, Piper lifts her feet from the bedroom floor, tucks them quickly under the comforter as she settles in beside the brunette.

"Thank you." Alex speaks to the ceiling.

Piper burrows against her pillow, watching Alex quietly from the corners of her eyes. Eventually she pulls her head forward, cracks open her book, begins to read silently once more. Piper watches her until her eyes grow heavy. She fights against her fading consciousness, suddenly afraid that it's all some sort of dream, that when she opens her eyes, one of these times, Alex will be gone. She feels the bed shift.

Her eyes flew open, hand shooting out to grab Alex's wrist before she could even orient herself.

"Whe're you going?" She slurs, voice think with sleep.

"I was turning out the light." Alex murmurs back, "But I'm probably going to go sleep in Nicky's room when you fall asleep."

A raw panic shoots through Piper's veins, her grip tightening painfully around Alex's wrist, "No!"

"_Piper..._" She sighs. A lung-full of that same sort of hovering irritation that had clung to her words when she'd told Piper she was tired of arguing with her.

The tears start falling before Piper even feels them gather. "_Alex, please_."

She cries. Her fingers lock tighter around Alex's wrist and she _cries_. Cries for Alex. Cries for herself. An hour ago she'd wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Alex as fast as she could, now the thought of being apart from her terrified her. The alcohol had burned through her system, leaving her dizzy and sick and alone in a bed that wasn't hers in a house she didn't know. Suddenly she was sixteen again and terrified of being left behind as Alex moved on to other things. _Better_ things. Suddenly everything was too much for her and she ached for Alex's heartbeat, Alex's lungs, Alex's arms.

And then Alex's arms were sliding around her. Alex's voice was breaking over the crown of her head as she tried to calm her sobs. Alex's heart was thumping steadily against her ear as she pulled her into her, lulling her back to herself. Gradually Piper began to steady her breaths. They were entangled against one another, she noticed, as she began to regain her senses, Alex's fingers swimming gently through her hair, her other hand drifting slowly up and down her back. Piper's face was tucked into the curve of her neck, her ear nestled against Alex's collarbone, greedily claiming the soft thud of every steady beat that pulsed through her heart. Her own arms had woven their way around Alex in their shifting, fingers now clutching tiredly at the fabric around her shoulders. She tightens them childishly, burrowing deeper into the comforting warmth of _Alex_.

"Go to sleep, Pipes..." Alex murmurs tiredly when she feels her shift. Piper says nothing, presses her face harder against Alex's collarbone. "I'm not going anywhere."

Her heart calms at that, and she notices for the first time that it's been beating wildly since Alex first mentioned leaving.

They lay like that for awhile, silent, gentle. For as tired as she is, as close to the edge of sleep as she'd been, Piper can't seem to find that sense of peace again. She shifts lightly against Alex, receiving another soft command to sleep. Her body is exhausted and yet wired tightly with what feels like a low humming electricity. Alex's body is achingly familiar, a sense that both comforts her and winds her up. She shifts again, Alex's voice thickening heavier and heavier with lethargy each time she tells her to be still and sleep.

"I can't." Piper finally mumbles after nearly 40 minutes of the same exchange. Alex's movements have grown sluggish, her fingers gliding through Piper's hair with a lazy sort of slowness. Piper shifts her hips, Alex's knee falling between legs, and whines.

"Pipes..." Alex sighs again. But it's gentle this time, and Piper whines again. She's in the middle of another wiggle when Alex shifts under her, her thigh coming into contact with the space between Piper's own and she gasps, jumping slightly before settling down against it. She sighs quietly, pushing slightly against Alex's thigh, shifting against it in a vain attempt to relieve the sudden build of tension that has settled low in her belly at some point during the last hour. She figures it to be instinct. A natural reaction to Alex's warmth, Alex's scent, Alex's _nearness_. For it's been years since she'd been this close to her, the last time being their last _sleepover_. Alex had made her come three times that night, and looking back later Piper had come to recognize it as a goodbye. Alex had always been better at sensing what was coming than Piper. And she was reminded of Alex's intuitiveness abruptly as Alex's leg bent, knee coming up to bump against her backside as she jostled the startled blonde further into her lap.

Her pelvis bumps against Alex's hipbone as the older girl growls warningly, "_Don't_."

Piper stills against her, suddenly afraid. Her entire body tensed, like a string pulling tight, as she waits. She sits rigidly for an entire ten minutes before shifting again, attempting to settle into a more comfortable position after being jostled so harshly into Alex's hips.

"I'm serious, Piper." Alex growls again, all previous traces of fatigue now gone as her voice cuts through the darkness of the bedroom with a sharp clarity. Piper tenses like a violin string once more. "Do not start anything you'll regret. _Go to sleep_."

"I can't." Piper whines again before she can stop herself, shifting heavily against the older girl in her attempt to find comfort before Alex can decide her decision to stay isn't worth the hassle. And Alex lets out one more choked sigh as Piper's thigh presses briefly between her own in her anxious wiggling. Her hand brushes the back of Piper's other thigh, fingertips resting dangerously close to her inner warmth.

Her voice comes out an octave lower when she speaks, a barely restrained growl of a _different_ reason, "If I do this for you, do you PROMISE me you will _GO. TO. SLEEP?_"

Piper remains silent, all sense of words lost to her at the first touch of Alex's fingers against her skin. A touch so achingly familiar and yet so terrifyingly foreign. Alex's thumb sweeps against her backside and she shudders, burying herself against Alex's neck.

"Hey..." Alex murmurs a minute later, her fingers still heavy against Piper's thigh, but the throaty bite from her tone gone, "What's wrong?"

That's when Piper notices, for the third time tonight, that her eyes have begun leaking thick hot trails down the back of Alex's neck.

"Pipes..." Alex murmurs, shifting her head in an attempt to catch the younger girl's eye. Piper buries herself deeper. "_Piper_."

Her fingers leave Piper's thigh, sliding beneath her chin in an attempt to raise her gaze to her own. Piper digs it stubbornly against her collarbone and she winces slightly at the force of it.

"Do you hate me?" She mumbles quietly. So quietly Alex, for a moment, wonders if she even heard her correctly.

"What?"

She sniffs, the intake of air tickling the skin of Alex's neck, "I understand if you do. _I_ sometimes hate me."

Alex goes rigid at those soft words, her fingers suddenly itching to bury themselves against Piper's skin, drag her into herself, leave no space between them, pulling until they're one singular entity. Instead she breathes out. A shuddering sigh. A painful conceding.

"I already told you I don't hate you, Piper." She whispers.

"But it's okay if you do."

Alex grits her teeth. She's angry. Angry at Piper thinking so lowly of her, of herself, of _them_. Angry at herself for _allowing_ Piper to form these thoughts. Angry at the wild fragility of teenage emotions and the universe that allowed them to fall apart from one another so completely.

"I miss you, Alex." Piper whispers.

She's given up trying to pry the younger girl's face from her neck, buries her nose against her soft blonde hair and the crown of her head, "I miss you too, Pipes."

And Piper shudders atop her. Her hand returns to the skin of Piper's thigh (delicately this time, _comforting_), and she strokes it lightly, her other hand swimming gently through blonde locks once more. Piper sighs, the tight coil of tension slowly leaking from her body once again. She loses track of how long they lay like this, until Piper shifts again, another strangled whimper slipping from the back of her throat.

"What's wrong?" Alex murmurs gently.

"Alex, I can't do this." She whispers.

"Do what?"

"_This_. I can't do this. I can't lay here with you, I can't... let you touch me like this... _again_... without..." She takes a shuddering breath, "I know... you've made it perfectly clear that you don't want anything to do with me anymore, and that's fine, but I can't... do this... if we're not..."

She can't make herself say it. She tries. She tries so hard. But she just can't bring herself to voice the words.

But she's never needed to with Alex. Because Alex knows what she's trying to say before she even has to say it.

"Pipes..." She murmurs, stilling her slow movements against the younger skin's skin. She doesn't speak again until Piper pulls her face from her neck, raises it to _finally_ meet her eyes. She nearly comes undone at the emotion in them. Pulling a desperate lung-full of air as she gazes into the cerulean eyes before her Alex decides they've danced this dance long enough. _Fuck it_, she thinks.

She crashes their lips together.

Piper's mouth opens immediately on instinct and suddenly they're kissing the way they should have been in the middle of that circle. Their tongues are exploring each other's mouths the way they should have been in that dark closet. And they're clutching at each other the way they never should have stopped after that last night in Piper's bed all those years ago.

Alex's hand returns to the space between Piper's thighs. Only it doesn't stop at the outer curve this time. She traces a gentle thumb over the material of her panties, sighing softly at the familiar gasp and shudder that slip out of the blonde just like they always had when Alex touches her like this. She doesn't take it any further though. Not yet. For now they're content to relearn every aspect of each other's mouths. Tongues counting teeth as if checking for any changes that may have occurred in their too-long absence. Her fingers have tangled in Piper's hair as her other hand continues to rub just so at the material between her legs.

Eventually though it's not enough, and she trails her hand up over the curve of Piper's ass, slips it deftly under the material of her panties, and slides it smoothly through the folds she once knew so intimately.

Her fingers prod at Piper's opening, trailing slowly through the sticky wetness.

"Fuck, Pipes. When's the last time you had sex?"

"I dunno..." She murmurs. "A few months ago?"

"Are you serious?"

"What?" She bristles defensively.

"It's just... impressive. Shit. I mean, haven't you been dating people?"

"Just because I date them doesn't mean I have sex with them." She's tensing again, Alex can feel it in the way they lay, and she slowly strokes her fingers the way she knows Piper likes. _Liked_. A small part of her mind reminds her. _She's not yours anymore_. And _she probably doesn't like the same things anymore_. And _she doesn't even like the same people anymore_. And _how did we ever manage to let this distance grow so fucking large between us_. But it's working and Piper's settling once again. "I don't... I don't _like_ having sex." She mumbles softly against Alex's throat. "I h_aven't_ _liked_ having sex for... since..."

She turns, burying her face against the slope where Alex's neck meets her shoulder once again. Alex's fingers still against her cunt and she whimpers softly (_so softly_).

"_Please don't stop_."

"_Pipes..._" She murmurs, attempting to catch the younger girl's eye.

"_Please Alex_."

"Piper, I'm not gonna have sex with you when you just told me you don't like having sex." She's angry. Frustrated. Piper's silent. "I mean, fuck, what kind of person do you think I am? How exactly do you fucking remember me, Piper? Because you keep saying these _things_..."

Her voice trails off and Piper's fills it's silence. "_I always liked it with you_."

It's ruinous.

Closing her eyes, a rush of air spills from Alex's lungs, her fingers still buried somewhere beneath the material of Piper's panties, coated in the warm, sticky, wetness of her cunt. Piper's face is still pressed against that hollow between her neck and shoulder, her soft breaths spilling lightly across Alex's skin. She feels like crying. For Piper. For herself. For everything they used to be. For everything they've become. Instead she hooks an arm around the blonde's back, fingers burying themselves deep within her hair, brushing briefly at her neck. A desperate sort of hug. Piper shudders against her (a sob and a plea and a desperate sort of aching relief of being held so fiercely within those arms once again).

"I'm sorry." She whispers against the column of Alex's neck.

"Me too."

"I don't wanna be this person anymore, Alex." A wetness drops against Alex's shoulder, slides down towards her back. "_I'm so tired_."

Alex strokes her back gently, her hand sliding beneath the material of Piper's shirt to trace soft patterns against her skin. Piper's always needed the intimacy of simple touch. The reassurance that she's there and fine and everything is okay. Even before they fucked each other (and, subsequently, everything else around them), before high school split them in two and took everything of who they were and who they used to be. Piper's always craved Alex's touch. Alex's fingers have always stilled her roaring waves.

And Alex knows then that they'd each taken their _own_ crowbar to this mess. A mess created from two opposite sides, meeting in the crumbling middle. Suddenly she remembers the hesitant young gaze that met her own in Piper's bed all those years ago. The trembling fear that always alit in those blue eyes whenever her own life and interests pulled too far from Piper's. And she remembers the anxious need Piper had always had to keep up with her, despite her constant reminders that she could never stray too far from the blonde's side anyway. And yet. She _had_.

Because she'd gotten scared. She'd begun to notice that she wasn't the only one who's attentions danced around Piper Chapman anymore (because something _changes_ when you've had sex, and they can smell it in the air like it's blood in the water, and they begin to circle like sharks), and she'd tried to ignore the painful tightenings in her stomach every time she noticed Piper flirting back with those sharks. Because Piper was young and timid and there was something so thrilling about being noticed by people who found you alluring, and Alex had held that against her because _she_ was young and insecure and neither of them knew what they were doing. They never put a label on it, _and that_, Alex thinks, _was their downfall_. Because if they're never anything more than best-friends-who-occasionally-enjoy-fucking-each-other then what reassurance was there that they were ever _anything_ at all.

And she told herself that Piper was pulling away from her and she told herself to get out now before Piper Chapman takes _everything_, but Alex Vause has always been somewhat of a masochist and she could never quite bring herself to separate _entirely_ when it came to the young blonde. So she'd waited (burying herself desperately in other things and other girls and other _activities _because she was so fucking desperate to get her mind off Piper Chapman before Piper Chapman got her mind off _her_). So she waited for Piper Chapman to finally lose interest in her and cut her lose. And suddenly she realizes that Piper had been doing the same thing.

They'd been so terrified of losing one another that they'd pushed each other away, and Alex's stomach heaves with the sudden realization of it all. They were best friends who had gotten curious and horny and ended up sleeping together because they wanted to know what it was like but didn't know how to_ talk about it_.

And then all of the sudden they were no longer just _best friends_ they were _curious kids exploring sex_. Without any sort of transition or discussion about feelings and what this change meant. _Really_ meant. And that's what made it so easy for high school to eat them alive. Alex could never quite believe Piper loved her as much as _she_ loved Piper, and Piper could never quite believe she was enough for Alex, that she was what she _wanted_. And they carried their fears silently and on their own until their backs broke under the weight of it all.

Alex feels her own tears slipping out, dropping quietly against Piper's head. And Piper turns her head, somehow aware of her shift in emotions.

"I'm sorry, Pipes." She whispers into Piper's hair. And Piper pushes herself up, lifting herself until they're eye level, and kisses away the trail of silently leaking tears. "_I'm sorry_."

Eventually the tears become too much, falling too quickly for her to keep up with, and Piper turns to press her own wet cheek against Alex's. They breathe as one, arms wrapping tightly around one another as they pull their bodies desperately against each other.

"Alex..." Piper whispers, and Alex stills, waiting for her command, "_touch me_."

She sits up, scooping Piper into her arms, into her lap. They grind against each other. Her hands slip under the shirt, tracing across Piper's hips, over her ribs, coming to rest just under her chest. She's not wearing a bra and she trembles lightly under Alex's touch. And Alex _knows_ she wants this and she _knows_ they're aching for it but she hesitates one last time, dropping her forehead to Piper's collarbone as she draws a steadying breath. Because she knows this could potentially ruin them all over again. And she's not really sure she could survive it a second time.

"Pipes... if we do this... I can't..." She falls silent, and Piper's fingers come to her chin, ease her head up to meet her gaze where she finds the strength to push the rest of the words from her lungs, "_I don't want to wake up to an empty bed tomorrow_."

"_Me either_." Piper whispers.

And that's all the confirmation they need.

Their lips meet once again, hungrily, needy, desperately, making up for all the lost years they'd spent being young and stupid and stubborn. Piper's hands are cupping Alex's jaw, pulling her face against her own with a force that Alex vaguely thinks could pull her head from her neck. She can't seem to make herself care though. Her own hands are sliding beneath the material of Piper's t-shirt once again, creeping up her back, hooking over her shoulders as she pulls Piper down against her lap as desperately as Piper pulls _her_ into her face.

One of them moans. The other answers. Alex pulls the t-shirt over Piper's head, and flings it across the room. They're gasping against each other's mouths, hesitant to pull away even for a second to gasp for air. Piper's fingers are pulling at the material of her own shirt and Alex helps her rid them of it before crashing their mouths together once more. Piper's not wearing a bra, but she is, and she reaches behind herself blindly for the clasp. Her fingers fumble for a moment and she growls in frustration against Piper's teeth. Piper, however, laughs. She _laughs_. And suddenly Alex's desperate fingers are stilling at her back as the sound washes over her.

She'd never really realized how much she missed Piper's laugh. Piper's smile. Piper's _radiance_. They'd spent so much time towards the end being mad and sullen and awkward with each other that she can't even remember the last time she heard such a glorious noise fall from Piper's lips. But she _does_ know that she never wants to go that long without hearing it again. Suddenly they're both laughing. Quietly, and unrestrained, in the hazy darkness of the bedroom. And suddenly everything slows down. And they're no longer in a frantic rush.

Piper's hands glide around to join hers, unhooking the stubborn material with aggravating ease, and Alex's bra joins Piper's shirt on the floor as they gaze quietly into one another's eyes. Piper sucks on her lower lip before leaning in to connect their mouths once more and Alex releases a sigh she didn't know she'd been holding into the embrace. Piper's lips eventually leave her own to pepper small kisses along the rest of her face and Alex follows her lead as she makes her own way down Piper's neck.

She pauses at her pulse point, breathing deeply against it for a moment, feeling the steady thrum of _Piper_ pulsing beneath her lips, before drawing the skin into her mouth in a kiss. She takes her time there. Making sure to leave a deep and flowering mark. _Mine_, she thinks, _Piper is **mine**, and Piper has **never stopped being** mine_. Eventually her exploration continues, down the slant of her collarbones (still etched with the lightest of freckles), over the slope of her breast (still decorated with the faintest of moles), and coming to rest at the point of her nipple (still straining for Alex as if they'd never forgotten her touch). She feathers the base with kisses before drawing the tight bud into her mouth. _And oh how she missed this_.

Piper arches against her at the touch of her warm wet mouth around her aching nipple. A soft "_oh_" dropping from her lips as her fingers curled into Alex's hair and against her shoulder. Alex takes her time. Reacquainting herself with Piper's chest is no small job. A the blonde is a quivering mess above her before she's even moved to the rest of her body.

"_Alex..._" She breathes when the older girl finally pulls away.

And Alex meets her gaze with a gentle smile.

And Piper can't help pulling their lips together once again.

She slides her hands down Alex's chest, cradles her breasts gently before palming them greedily, and Alex can feel her smirking against her mouth as her fingers tweak at her nipples. She grunts appreciatively.

Her own hands begin to slide down Piper's sides once more and she pulls the thin material of her panties off, taking the opportunity to shift them a bit. Piper's legs fall open around her hips and she slides her own legs under Piper's backside, her tailbone resting gently atop her knees. She can smell her arousal and for a moment it makes her dizzy. Dizzy with excitement and anticipation and _memories_.

"_Mmm..._" Piper moans against her lips as Alex's hands slide down her thighs, thumbs gently brushing her outer folds.

She allows their kiss to end slowly, eyes meeting Piper's once again, silently asking her if she's ready. If she's _sure_. If she's okay.

Piper blinks once, slowly, a warm smiling stretching lazily across her lips.

And when her eyes open again Alex's chest constricts at the emotions they hold. Happiness. Contentment. Peace. Love. _Trust_.

She winds an arm around Piper's back, sliding it up between her shoulders, clutching her to her, as she dips her fingers between her folds. Piper is panting softly against her chin, her forehead leaning gently across her temple as Alex's fingers glide through the wetness between her legs. She's thrown an arm around Alex's shoulders for support, an evening balance to the arm Alex holds pressed between her shoulder blades. Her fingers dance against Piper's wetness lightly for a few moments, coating themselves in the familiar scent and stickiness. It's only when Piper drops the faintest of kisses against her cheekbone that Alex's fingers finally push up inside her.

She gasps, arching against the new intrusion, before letting out a low moan and settling heavily onto Alex's hand. Alex allows her a moment to adjust, her quiet admission from earlier still ringing in her ears. It's been awhile since Piper has been touched like this, and she doesn't want to hurt her. Eventually she begins to rock her hips against Alex's hand, and Alex allows her to set her pace for a moment before beginning to meet her thrust for thrust.

Piper's free hand slithers between them, fumbles at the button of Alex's jeans before sliding in to bump against her clit (Alex jerks with a quiet gasp). Her fingers slide through Alex's own wetness, coating themselves, before sliding into her pulsing channel.

Their lips meet in a sloppy kiss as they push and grind against each other. The hand between Piper's shoulder blades has slid up to tangle in the hair at the base of her neck, and their chests brush against one another lightly with every synchronized thrust. Piper reaches the edge before Alex, and Alex desperately attempts to keep her there as long as she can before she catches up. They end up tumbling into bliss only moments apart.

But Alex doesn't stop, she eases Piper down gently before thrusting forcefully once again. And Piper cries out, her own fingers still buried deep within Alex's cunt, and it's all she can do to swipe her thumb against Alex's clit, desperate to drag her over the edge with her once more. It doesn't take long this time. And Alex catches Piper as her bones become jelly and she all but deflates against her.

She lays them back against the sheets, fingers still buried between Piper's legs as she settles atop her, and brings her to completion one final time.

Piper's clutching desperately at her shoulders by the time she comes down from her third high, free hand pushing clumsily against the one Alex has still got resting between her legs. And Alex takes the hint, finally pulling her coated hand free. She wipes what she can along the side of the bed (reminds herself to strip the sheets and leave them for washing before she leaves tomorrow), slides her ruined jeans and panties off, and pulls Piper's boneless, sated body against her.

She comes willing, wiggling tiredly against Alex's body as she throws a leg over her hip and nuzzles her head into her neck. Alex tucks her gently under her chin and begins to thread her fingers slowly through her hair once again. She can tell Piper's on the edge of consciousness.

"Alex..." She murmurs tiredly, and so,_ so softly._

"Hmm..." Alex hums.

"We're both going to be here when we wake up, right?"

And Alex tucks her a little closer against herself, "Yeah kid. We're both going to be here when we wake up."

"Good." Piper breathes, almost inaudibly, "Don't wanna lose you again."

She's asleep by the time Alex whispers "Me either, Pipes... _me either_."

The sunlight streaming through the room is what eventually wakes Piper up.

She squints against the warm light splashing across her face, stretching with a quiet groan. She can feel the lingering grasp of hangover, a slight dull pounding behind her eyes, and he body feels sore in places it hasn't felt _anything_ in in awhile, but she mostly notices she's _content_. She can't remember the last time she felt so at peace. Finishing her stretching and quiet assessment of herself, she finally notices she's not alone, and sits up a moment to observe her companion.

Alex is on her side, one arm tucked lovingly under Piper's head, the other slung bonelessly over her hip. They'd slept facing one another, as if afraid it would all disappear the second they tore their eyes away. She smiles tenderly and leans in to place a gentle kiss on Alex's pouting lips. Alex smiles lazily into the kiss, her hand that was over Piper's hips rising to cup the back of her head.

"_Mmm... hey you_." She rumbles happily, voice thick with sleep, as they pull apart.

"_Hey_."

They watch each other a bit, content to sit in the silence of the morning for now. Hesitant to break the calm that's washed over them.

"We need to talk." Alex eventually murmurs.

"I know." And she does. Because they've both learned from the mistakes of their past and neither of them want to see this fall apart again.

"How about I take you home, swing by my place for a bit, then meet back up at yours and do lunch?"

Piper nods, shuffling a little closer, and Alex huffs out a tired laugh. She tucks a wayward strand of blonde hair behind Piper's ear before leaning in for another kiss. Piper deepens it instantaneously and they're lost in one another's scent and taste and presence once more, before Alex finally pulls away.

"Mm..." She groans, "we should probably try to stop... doing _that_ until we can talk about what exactly this means."

"I know." Piper murmurs, placing another kiss on the underside of her chin, "Sorry." A kiss on her throat, "I can't help it."

She smiles over the soft rumble of laughter that vibrates through Alex's throat under her lips, "I know." She pulls back enough to look Alex in the eye. "I missed you, Piper."

"I missed you too, Al."

"_I don't wanna fuck this up again_."

"Me either."

Alex drops another kiss to her lips, breaking apart to rest their foreheads against once another. "_I love you_."

And Piper's eyes widen slightly at the admission, and suddenly her heart's beating faster, and it's everything they should have been saying in the first place.

"_I love you too_."

And suddenly it feels like maybe this time they'll be able to work it out.

* * *

><p>I spent a lot of time thinking about Piper's lines in 2.10<p>

How she never used to think of herself as a sexual person before Alex, or how it's like sex became this entirely new thing to her after she had it with Alex. So I was wondering if any of that carried over to post-Alex. Like does she not enjoy sex as much now when it's NOT with Alex or did Alex just awaken it in her completely in a way that she knows how to enjoy it now BECAUSE of Alex, even when it's not with her? THEN I started thinking about how that might change if Alex had been the first person she'd EVER had sex with and suddenly I was stewing up a sequel to a story I said I'd never continue. Not one of my best, but eh, this is why I don't write sequels. My longest chapter to date and yet I still couldn't make it feel not terribly rushed.

Anyway, obligatory thank you to Orange Dandelion without whom this chapter, several previous, and several more _coming_ would probably never exist.


	18. Chapter 18

"_Alex Vause was never a lamb, she is the wolf that eats the lamb_." / "_I am a lone wolf, and a viscous one. Don't make me rip your throat out with my teeth_."

**[M RATING; SLIGHT GORE, SLIGHT SEX]**

* * *

><p>She'd never had a pack.<p>

The wolf who'd turned her had done just that and then split, leaving her to figure the rest on her own.

Alex Vause had never believed in werewolves before that night. Never believed in vampires or ghosts. Never believed in _God_. She was realistic. A pragmatist.

She was rethinking a lot about her life.

She'd been out way too late, a little too drunk, and in a single moment her life had changed. She doesn't remember a lot of it. Doesn't know if that's thanks to the alcohol or the surprise of the attack itself. One moment she'd been stumbling along the street, the next; _pain_. A searing, blinding pain. And terrible, _terrible_ noise. The screams of a animal, the screams of a _woman_. And then... nothing. She'd woken up who knows how many hours later, squinting against the afternoon sun, and the air had smelled of copper and rot. There'd been blood. She didn't know how much was her own and how much was... someone (somet_hing_?) else's. She'd pushed herself to her feet, heaved the contents of her stomach into the foul smelling dumpster beside her, and stumbled haltingly from the alley.

She'd ignored the stares and quite murmurs she'd received as she completed her journey home.

It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. She'd tried to deny it as long as she could. But eventually the truth caught up to her, and Alex Vause had to admit to herself a startling truth she'd never thought would be possible. She had become an _animal_. And the life she'd once known could be hers no more. She'd thought she could endure it. She'd thought she could _fix_ it. But three near poisonings, one almost overdose, and too many nights spent offering her stomach to the bowels of her toilet had told her otherwise. And then, three days before the full moon, she'd woken up to the white sheets of her bed stained red, and the wails of her neighbor's heartbroken cries at the discovery of the mangled remains of his once-lively dog ringing through the apartment complex. She knew she had to leave.

The first year had been the hardest. Going through the transformations, learning to control the urges, fighting to _survive_... alone... without help... on her _own_... she vowed to herself _never_ to bestow that hell on anyone else. And she'd succeeded, for the most part, driven by wild hatred for the curse itself and the one who'd so graciously gifted it to her. She'd lost _everything_ to it. Leaving her mother behind had been the hardest part. But she'd known she couldn't risk her, and that if she stayed any longer the blood lust that coursed through her veins would eventually drive her to kill her own mother. So she'd left. Snuck out with the breaking dawn, leaving nothing but a quiet letter of apology, and the promise that she would _always_ love her.

She'd distanced herself from people that first year. Learning how to control herself in the wilds of the woods and dead untamed land, miles outside the nearest city. A slow and grueling process. She'd wake up in fields, disoriented and confused, missing chunks of her memory, until she slowly learned how to control the beast. Yet she still did not return to civilization right away. The best course being, she'd decided, to slowly creep herself closer and closer in gradual paces. Living on the outskirts of small farming towns, she tested herself.

She'd lasted a little over a year before her second fatality.

A stray sheep that had escaped it's field and wandered too far into her territory. It was her first domesticated kill since her neighbor's dog, and she'd almost allowed it to drive her back into the wilderness indefinitely, if it weren't for the farmer's young son, who'd ventured into the wilds in search of his missing ewe. He'd misstepped while climbing a loosely rocky slope, snapping his ankle, and after listening to his cries for several hours she'd finally emerged to help him. He was relatively light (aided by her increased strength that had slowly taken over her the night she'd first been bitten), and she'd carried him effortlessly across the mile long trek to his house. His family had been extremely grateful, insisting she stay for dinner, and it was all she could do not to sob into her bowl at the first _real_ meal she'd seen in over a year. She'd told them she was a traveler. Hiking throughout the woods, making a new camp every night, living off the earth. Not entirely untrue. They accepted it without question, putting her up in the guestroom for the night. And she allowed herself to doze a handful of hours (because _god_, how _good_ a real bed felt) before slipping out quietly with the gathering dew of the early morning air.

She'd meandered through towns for awhile after that, picking up odd jobs to keep herself housed and fed.

She was going on four years when she finally returns to the city.

She rents an apartment on the outskirts, close enough to the woods for monthly sheltering in their dark arms, and picks up a job at a small bar within walking distance. It's a quiet place, run down, and older than it means to be. She likes that about it. rarely does it see new faces, and the handful of familiars it caters to each night are hardly the question-asking type. Her boss barely even bats an eye when she quietly requests three days off every month. She figures it has to do with the fact that she rarely takes days off outside of the full moon, but knows it's at least in part due to the nature of the place itself. It's not exactly red light district, and it's not exactly the slums, but it's certainly never going to be featured in any key attractions articles.

She's hedging on five years when she has her moment of weakness.

She'd been feeling particularly lonely lately, something that seems to happen in increasing frequency around this time of year. Her mother's birthday is coming up, and she plans to spend it as she always has since departing from her old life; blind drunk and passed out on her bathroom floor. Expect it's fallen too close to her cycle this year, and her sharpened senses will not allow her the hazy escape she so desperately craves. And so in a broken moment of weakness, she calls her.

But instead of her mother's warm voice, instead of the familiar old click of the answering machine, what she gets is a staticky monotone message; _This number has been disconnected_. She furls her eyebrows in confusion. It was unlike her mother to change her number. It was unlike her mother to change _anything_. She'd always been, if anything, a creature of habit. And for her to change something as important as her phone number... it didn't add up. She lets it lie for the night. slinking into work the following evening to quietly ask if she could extend her upcoming three day vacation to seven. Her boss gives a grunt and nod and the rest of the night passes as usual.

She packs a bag, the worn old thing she'd carried with her throughout her years in the wilderness, and begins her journey home. She knows she shouldn't, knows she should stay away, that it'll only be that much harder to maker herself leave again, but she _has_ to know. There's an aching curious concern in the back of her head and she needs to reassure herself that everything is fine or else she might just lose her mind. She finds her old address, stakes out, watches it from afar. There's unfamiliar activity bustling through it and suddenly that low pulsing concern is beating through her brain like the steady drive of a bass drum. Eventually she cannot take it anymore and approaches the almost unfamiliar territory. A woman answers the door (and Alex has never seen her in her life), she looks monetarily confused, asks if she can help her. She asks about her mother, about the woman who used to live her and the woman who lives here now suddenly softens. _Pity_.

"Oh sweetheart," she begins, "I'm sorry... she died just about a year ago."

And Alex's world shatters.

She thanks the woman for her time, apologizes for bothering her, and doesn't turn around when she calls worryingly after her, asking if she's okay. She's not even sure what the word "okay" means anymore. She walks. Her thoughts are flying in a million different directions all at once and her body goes into autopilot. Her feet remember these streets, her legs know these corners, she lets them guide her as her mind shuts down.

She ends up in a bar. A place she used to sneak into when life was easy and her mother was _alive_. The place she'd staggered out of on the night that all changed. She doesn't know how long she sits there, downing drink after drink. The bartender gives her an uneasy look, but she's knocked back more drinks than anyone of her stature ever should and has only just recently begun to slur. He slides her another when she glares. The beast inside of her howls, and she finally succeeds in doing what she couldn't do a few nights ago, what had driven here to come all this way in the first place. Finally her senses begin to blur and vision begins to cloud and the roaring thoughts in her head and the howling beast in her veins all begin to muffle to a dull drone.

She drinks until the bartender quietly tells her it's last call, that they'll be closing soon. He looks like he expects her to put up a fight and it's the very hesitance of his gaze that keeps her from doing so. She heaves herself out of her seat and out into the street, stumbling drunkenly down the sidewalk. And isn't this just so fucking fittingly familiar, she thinks. She passes the alleyway, _her_ alleyway, and suddenly she can taste the copper and smell the rot once more. She stumbles against the mouth, leaning heavily against the corner of the nearest building, and once again empties the contents of her stomach into the sodden hovel. She vomits until she's retching up acid and blood, and when she pulls herself to her feet she's disgusted to find her vision returning to normal. _Damn these fucking animal senses_.

Her mouth tastes of copper and acid and she's wiping irritably at her mouth with the back of her hand when she hears a scream. Her ears perk, and she turns lazily towards the direction of the sound, eyes sweeping the empty streets. Another scream, this time angry, and she moves slowly down the street, following the sounds of a struggle. _Good_, she thinks bitterly, _I could use a good fight tonight_.

She's gone two blocks when she begins to pick up other sounds; a thump of flesh colliding with flesh, low snarls, and the quiet grunts of what she assumes to be the screamer. Then she hears it. The unmistakable growl of a predator. And suddenly she's spiriting the last block faster than her legs had ever carried her. She swings around a corner, skidding onto the dead end street and comes face to face with the nightmare that's haunted her for five years.

A woman lay bleeding on the ground, and hunched over her, the animalistic form of a creature that was neither man nor wolf, but some terrifying combination of the two. A beast. The woman's fists bounce feebly off it's chest as she struggles against the attack. The beast turns at the sound of her approach. Alex sees red. And suddenly instinct takes over.

A feral roar bursts from her lungs and she feels her teeth become fangs before the best inside her takes control. She launches herself at the creature, knocking him from atop the woman, and they both go tumbling into the empty street. Everything's flashes of teeth and claws and blood and hair and she's soon got him on the ropes as he stumbles back. The woman coughs feebly behind her and her attention shifts for the briefest moment, allowing the man the opening he needs, he sprints off down the street. Instinct tells her to give chance, the balls of her foot digging hard against the cracked pavement, muscles tensing to push her off after him, when the woman speaks.

"No... please... wait..." Alex falters, her muscles tense, "_please_..." the woman gasps again around a mouthful of blood, "don't... don't go... I'm..." Her muscles quiver, the best in her growls, "_I'm scared_."

And suddenly all the tension inside of her melts. She shivers for a moment, fights for control, and _exhales_.

Then she's filled with a new kind of tension. She turns, and quietly approaches the woman.

She's lying a puddle of blood, most of it her own, and she's shaking. "I think..." she mumbles, clutching at neck, and Alex notices a trickle of blood leaking slowly between her fingers, "I think I might be dying."

There are tears in her eyes. They're blue. _So blue_. Alex can only hold her gaze for a moment before dropping it to examine her wounds. She gently peels the woman's hand from her neck, praying she won't find what she knows she's going to find. The woman's fingers tremble in Alex's grasp and she strokes her thumb across them gently as she eyes the slowly cauterizing wound on her neck.

"You're not dying, kid..." she whispers, sadly as she watches the last bit of consciousness fade from those startlingly blue eyes, "but you're gonna wish you _were_."

She doesn't know what prompts her to take her back to her motel. Maybe it's the way her voice had trembled when she'd fearfully called out for Alex to wait. Maybe it's the way her eyes had held Alex's own as her thumb caressed her blood-soaked fingers. Maybe it's the way she'd looked, broken and beaten, in an alley not too far from Alex's own, as her life as she knew it unknowingly died without her. She takes her back to her motel.

It's a simple enough task, slipping her into the room without arising any suspicion. She'd chosen this particular place for it's seedy secrecy to begin with. Her wounds have fully healed by the time Alex drags her into the bathroom, depositing her quietly into the water-stained tub. She detaches the shower head, runs it over the toilet as she plays with the water temperature, settling finally on a gentle lukewarm stream, and brings it to the girl's hair. Gently, she begins to wash the gore from her weakened body. She squirts a palmful of cheap hotel shampoo and works what grim she can from the woman's matted and sticky blonde hair. It's a slow process, and Alex takes her time, carefully removing what she can from the woman's bloodstained clothing and skin before shutting off the water and pulling her from the tub once again.

She deposits the girl on the bed, tucking her gently under the covers before returning to the shower to clean the grime of the night from _herself_. Eventually, feeling as clean as she figures she's going to, she stretches out alongside the girl and slowly succumbs to sleep.

Her eyes snap open several hours later, alerted to an unfamiliar presence within her space.

The girl is shifting in the bed, hesitantly eyeing her surroundings in a manner that leads Alex to believe she could snap at any moment. Finally her sapphire gaze meets Alex's emerald and it slowly seems to come trickling back to her.

"What..." is all she can manage before clamping her mouth shut and breathing heavily.

Alex tells her to calm down, speaks quietly and soothingly to her until she's sure she's not going to hyperventilate, and then gently lets her know her life as she knows it is over.

Piper. Piper Chapman. Is what she eventually finds her name to be. And Piper Chapman in the harsh light of day is a far cry from the small, scared woman who'd pleaded with Alex to stay with her last night as she took what she thought were her final breaths. Alex puts up with it for as long as she can, and, after much heated discussion, a vehement almost _angry_ explosion of aggressive accusations and denial, a handful of desperate pleas for Alex to stop joking and tell her what _really_ happened, and a near hysterical breakdown, she angrily grabs her things and tells Piper good luck.

She's made it a block in a half before she halts in her place. Filling her lungs with a quiet breath, she slowly reigns herself back under control. She'd allowed herself to get angry, and it was always easier for the beast to take over when she was angry. Especially at this time of the month. As she stands on the sidewalk, slowly filling her lungs with air, and exhaling out her toxins, she begins to remember that first month. That first _year_. That loneliness and that anger. She begins to remember that fear, the same fear she'd seen reflected in Piper's eyes before they'd boiled over in hard anger. Letting out a final sigh, she turns and slinks back towards the hotel.

She knows there's no sense in approaching the young blonde. Not yet at least. She'd worked herself into a state of denial that would only be broken by witnessing what Alex had been telling her for herself. So she waits. And watches. And when Piper emerges from the room, she follows. The full moon would be rising in 36 hours. And wherever they ended up, Alex could at least make sure Piper Chapman didn't experience her first turn alone. She's only been tailing her for a handful of hours when it begins.

They're sitting in a bar when Alex notices her beginning to get jittery. She'd waited a moment after Piper had pushed through the doors, slipping in quietly and hiding herself in the shadows of a corner booth moments later. Her knuckles are tapping against the counter of the bar and her foot is bouncing restlessly on the leg of her stool. The hand that isn't tapping scratches nervously at the skin of her forearm and she keeps taking notice and stilling her fingers, before her thoughts drift again to other things and the unconscious scratching starts up once more. She sits for a good 40 minutes before suddenly lurching from the bar and heading for the bathrooms. Alex follows.

She's standing in front of the mirror, running her fingers shakily through her hair as she studies her reflection. Her gaze darts towards the door as Alex eases it open and slips in, and her eyes flash in wild anger for a moment before settling into a sick sort of nervousness.

"What's happening to me?" She demands shakily.

"I already told you." Alex answers calmly.

"Bullshit." she scoffs, "Oh bull_shit_, Alex. _Werewolves_? How stupid do you think I am? What the fuck did you do to me!?" Alex says nothing, shaking her head quietly as the girl whirls to face her. She fixes Alex with another look of red hot rage before her face suddenly cracks. "What's happening to me?"

Her voice is thick with unshed tears and wild fear when she asks this time and for a moment Alex thinks she might have to blink back her own.

"You don't have to go through it alone." She eventually murmurs.

And the overwhelming _fight_ that's been coursing through the girl's veins quiets as she finally concedes.

She takes her outside the city, arriving a few hours before nightfall. Just enough time for them to get setup and comfortable. Enough time for her to allay as many of Piper's quiet fears as she can. She's got enough of a hold on her own wolf to be able to keep an eye out for Piper when _hers_ inevitably takes full control. She promises her she won't let her out of her sight, won't leave her to suffer this alone.

It's painful watching the transformation take hold. She's temporarily transported back to her own first time. A jarring, snapping uncontrollable contortion in which you slowly lose track of yourself as your body betrays you in the worst way. She eases into her own, keeping a close eye on Piper. Once complete, the young wolf stands stalk still for a moment, ears pricked, muscles tight, beast at the ready. And suddenly she's off. Tearing through the woods with wild reckless abandon and it's all Alex can do to keep up.

_It's a new sensation_, she muses, as she meets the younger girl's pace stride for stride, _running with another_. And later when they're both laying, tangled and spent under the slowly setting moon, she'll realize that a part of her had _enjoyed it_. But for now she allows Piper's wolf to run free, guiding her here and there when she needs it. They run through the night weaving between trees, darting over hills, ducking through logs. Piper finally slows some hours later, an inclined clearing giving them an unobscured view of the large white moon. She eyes it quietly for a moment, as if contemplating it's new role in her life, before letting out a long low howl. It tampers moodily off, echoing against the surrounding foothills, bouncing off the far off mountains, and she listens to it's fading keen before letting loose another one. Alex joins her. And together they cry at the moon until Piper's muscles burn for her to run again.

Alex angles them back towards the way they came, Piper content to allow her some control as the moon begins it's decent above them. They reach their camp just before dawn and Alex collapses tiredly against the base of a tree as Piper trots up behind her. She can't remember the last night she'd run so hard and so far. She's fighting to keep her eyes open when Piper drops down beside her. They eye each other a moment, before curling into one another and watching the moon's final moments before it dips below the treeline.

And that's how it begins.

Piper is a wild young thing, terrified out of her mind and angry at the world and she attaches herself to Alex in a manner that leaves them both annoyed. Fiercely independent, yet terrified of being alone she scorns Alex's condescending teachings and desperately yearns for her guidance.

She ends up taking her back to her apartment with her. Turns out Piper's life is much easier to leave behind than Alex's ever was, and she sometimes finds herself torn between stewing envy and quiet admiration for it. Piper takes up residence on her pull-out, insisting it's fine, that after a week in the woods it's practically a night at the Hilton. And they fall into an easy routine. Alex hasn't needed to spend her weekends in the woods for quite some time, barely needs to afford a monthly visit anymore at this point, really only keeps it up because it feels better to let the wolf loose under the moon than it does to keep it caged. But Piper's presence has her suddenly taking a few more days off throughout the month. Suddenly has her spending the majority of her free time in the open wild instead of boxed quietly in her apartment.

It takes her awhile to gain control of her wolf. _Though not as long as it could have_, Alex muses. She's note entirely sure Piper would have managed on her own. Is suddenly, for the first time, glad _she_ had. Because somewhere along the line it'd begun to feel like she'd not only survived for _herself_, but for Piper as well. She never dwells on it, but it DOES tug at the back of her mind on those cool nights they spend camping in the woods, Piper dozing by the dying light of the fire, chasing an endless cycle of fever dreams.

She's volatile. Feral in a way Alex never was, and sometimes she finds herself wondering if Piper hand't _always_ had the beast in her veins. She merges with it in a way Alex never could, giving herself over to it with a fluid ease, almost as if she _trusted_ it. Where Alex runs her own with a tight control, Piper succumbs to hers with a reckless abandon. Alex and her beast are at odds. Piper and her's are _one_. It's something Alex envies at times. And something she scorns at others.

They're three days from another full moon the first time Piper snaps.

She nearly kills a man in a dingy bar for slapping her ass. Alex can hardly blame her for the anger, she'd been ready to knock the man flat herself, but it doesn't _end_ at anger. It was a snapfire anger that quickly burned to a seething rage before exploding into wild blood lust. The man was crying by the time Alex finally managed to pull the rabid blonde from him. She manages to pull her from the bar and down a maze of alleys, disappearing into the night before the cops can arrive. Piper struggles the entire way, spitting fire and wild flailing limbs before finally twisting herself free. Her rage redirects itself at Alex and in the moment before she can attack, Alex catches her eye. Gone are all traces of Piper Chapman. In it's place is nothing but the feral wolf. She feels her own teeth spiking as Piper's muscles tighten and suddenly they're struggling against one another wildly.

Piper's not experienced enough yet, doesn't know how to transition as smoothly and willfully as Alex. But Piper's not in control anymore. The wolf is. And Alex almost feels a wave of fear as Piper's nails sharpen and her teeth grow out. They're all snapping teeth and twisting limbs as they struggle to overpower one another and Piper sinks her teeth deeply into Alex's bicep before she can regain her hold on her. She cries out in pain as Piper's teeth sink to their hilt into her muscle. She feels her own wolf budding for control and she's nearly overwhelmed with the onslaught of attacks between the two. In a desperate attempt to shove her wolf back down and end this struggle before they _both_ lose control and go tearing through the city, she takes advantage of Piper's distraction with her bicep to snap the bones of her forearm with a sickening crunch.

Piper staggers back, momentarily blinded by pain and lets out a low keening noise. Her eyes are wide and Alex catches a glimpse of the familiar blonde in them as she regains control over her wolf. They're both panting heavily as they stagger to opposite ends of the alleyway, fighting quietly to calm their inner storms and throbbing pains. Eventually Piper speaks. A soft broken apology slipping from her lips, cracked and wet. _Scared_. She's cradling her arm to her chest and a slow line of tears begin to trek down her flushed cheeks.

Alex sighs.

They walk back in silence.

She sets her bones gently when they reach the apartment, depositing her on her pull-out and pulling out a first aid kit. Wrapping her arm in a makeshift sling, Alex tucks it tenderly against the blonde's chest.

"I'd give you painkillers but you'd need about 400 to feel anything." She murmurs softly, "It'll heal quickly enough though."

Piper nods. She's silent for the rest of the night.

Alex takes an extra day off, and they spend nearly four solid days tearing through the open woods. Piper seems more at ease with the unbridled freedom, but she can still sense the lingering guilt in the way they interact.

"Hey," she says softly, catching the blonde's attention over the quietly crackling fire one night, "I'm proud of you." Piper's eyes shine with something she can't quite place before returning to the flames between them, "I mean it." she pushes. "You're way past where I was at this point. And you're gonna lose control every once in awhile. It happens." she pauses, holding the blonde's blindingly blue gaze for a moment before continuing, voice suddenly softer, "That's why we have _each other_."

The barest of smiles tugs across her lips, the first sign Alex has seen in days, and she returns it gently with a desperate sort of relief.

They stick to places they know after that.

The quiet bar down the street, the rundown library that rarely attracts anyone other than a handful of quiet old ladies and themselves, and _Alex's_ bar.

She surprised the first night she sees Piper push through the doors, pausing in the threshold to size up her surroundings. She eases when she catches sight of Alex, moving deeper into the room to slide herself onto one of the stools across from the older woman. Alex allows her a restrained grin.

"What're you doin' here?"

"Thought I'd come see what all the fuss is about." Piper says casually, eyes raking over the decor, and Alex laughs a genuine laugh.

She hovers around the blonde when she's not busy, and even though no words are exchanged they seem to hold a million conversations. Alex wonders if its the wolves in them, communicating through a plane neither of them can quite grasp, or if it's something purely _them_. An unsung connection binding them quietly together in a way the wolves could never understand.

They begin to make a habit of it.

Piper dropping in whenever Alex is working a later shift, slipping quietly onto a vacant stool, and watching her silently as she tends to the bar and her patrons. Alex doesn't quite realize how much she enjoys it until the night Piper doesn't show. She tries to ignore the twinge of disappointment in her chest every time the little bell above the door rings to usher in someone _other than_ her grinning blonde. She _definitely_ ignores the possessive twinge that had possessed her to begin calling Piper as any sort of _hers_.

It's a decent night for once, and another woman wanders in, catching sight of Alex, and saunters over to the bar. They get to chatting and flirting and Alex's mind is once again in a state of ease when her eyes flick away from the woman before her to focus on the door. Her gaze lands on the heavy wood of the door just before the bell above it jingles, and the door itself swings open. _Piper_.

She falters in the doorway, catching sight of Alex leaning into the woman, before furrowing her brows and continuing towards the bar.

"Hey." She calls softly as she slips into a stool a few seats down.

Alex's gaze flicks to her, a slight nod, before returning to the woman before her. She'd been in the middle of telling her some sort of story, and Alex would be a liar if she said she wasn't a little bit pissed at Piper for showing up so late. The woman's story concludes with burst of laughter from the both of them and her gaze flicks towards Piper once more as the woman finishes off her drink. She runs her hand down Alex's forearm, smiling charmingly before murmuring that she'd be right back and not to go anywhere. Alex's eyes track her the whole way to the bathroom before finally sliding down to land on Piper.

The blonde is all but seething when Alex finally saunters over to her with a smirk, already in the process of mixing her her favorite order.

"_You_ seem to be having a good time." She drawls, and Alex is intrigued at the slight bite in her tone.

"Well... I mean, I could hardly wait around for _you_ all night."

Piper's gaze is sharp when she meets her eye, and Alex suddenly finds herself interested in seeing how far she can push this. "I wasn't aware we had a date."

"We didn't." Alex smirks, quietly studying the moody irritability hanging over the blonde, before nodding her head in the direction of the bathrooms, "But _she_ might. If ya know what I mean." She finishes with a wink, backing away as the woman reappeared, making her way back over to the bar.

Piper's nostrils flair adorably as she refocuses her attention on her drink. The woman returns to her previously unoccupied stool, immediately slipping back into easy conversation with the brunette. Piper watches them from the corner of her eye for a moment before rolling her eyes and downing her drink. Setting the glass against the bartop with a little more force than necessary, she slides from her stool and heads toward the back of the bar.

Gaze landing on her at the soft bang of her glass against the counter, Alex watches with a sudden sinking feeling as Piper makes her way towards the exit. _Great, way to go Vause, now you've pissed her off_. Just as she'd been about to pull away from the woman before her, however, Piper turns, angling for the jukebox. _Ah_.

She cocks her hip, thumbing quietly through the selection for a moment before settling on something with a nice slow drawl. Her hips sway gently to the music for a beat before she turns, locking eyes with Alex. Alex watches quietly over the woman's shoulder as Piper begins to mouth the lyrics along with the song. Her attention stays focused on Alex as she dips her head, the rest of her body coming into tune with the music, before her eyes dart to the right, landing on a man who'd been watching her for the last several minutes. She begins to sing quietly to him instead, grinning as he sets aside his beer and makes his way over to her.

Alex feels something inside her tighten as the man sidles up against her blonde, feels the beast in her growl as his hands land on Piper's hips, and nearly shatters the glass in her hands when Piper leans into him to whisper something. Suddenly livid she doesn't notice the woman asking her what's wrong until a soft hand lands against her forearm. She jolts, nearly dropping the glass she'd been aggressively over-cleaning. She offers a quick smile, apologizes, leans in once more, waits until the woman is satisfied enough with her attention before sliding her gaze over her shoulder once more to focus on Piper.

Piper's blue eyes meet her own over the shoulder of the man as she slides her arms around his waist, burying the tips of her fingers in the tops of his back pockets as they sway together. The wolf inside Alex howls.

She watches them move against each other for the remainder of the song, until the man moves in once more, murmuring something that makes Piper laugh. She grabs her jacket, moving to follow him out the door when Alex tosses down her rag.

"Lou!" She growls in the direction of her boss, "I'm goin' on my break."

She brushes past the eagerly smiling woman. Catching Piper's elbow just before she slips through the second set of doors, she tugs her back into her with more force than she'd intended to and Piper raises an eyebrow, gaze flicking between the hand at her elbow and Alex's eyes. They stand staring at one another in the tiny entryway.

"You are _not_ going home with him." Alex growls.

Piper's face is a mask, "No?" her gaze jumps from Alex's, sweeping across the room to land on the set of doors behind her, doors that lead into the night, doors that lead away from Alex. "It's looks like I am." She murmurs with false apology.

"Piper, I swear to _god_ if you go home with that man, the _second_ my shift ends I will not hesitate to _hunt you down_."

"Is that a promise?" Piper whispers.

"It's a _threat_." Alex growls. And suddenly their faces are impossibly close to one another, and when the hell did _that_ happen?

"Is there a difference?" Piper's voice, barely more than a whisper.

Alex doesn't answer and the blonde turns to leave once more. Then suddenly Alex's arm is tugging her sharply back. She stumbles slightly in surprise at the force of it, colliding with Alex's chest hard enough to make them both grunt softly. And then they're kissing.

Their mouths meet in a wild gasping mash of teeth and lips. There's a low rumble rolling quiety from Alex's chest as her hand leaves Piper's elbow to join her other in cupping her jaw. Piper's fingers bury themselves in the material at Alex's shoulders and she whines softly into the demanding onslaught. They stand locked in their heated embrace as the force of the kisses start to slow. Soon their lips move slowly, gently. Alex pulls apart to rest their foreheads together exhaling quietly with another low growl.

"You'd better fucking be at home when I get there." She whispers against Piper's panting lips.

Piper says nothing, leaning in for another slow kiss. She meets Alex's eye when they pull away and it's all the answer Alex needs. Letting her go with a soft sigh, their eyes remain locked until Piper disappears through the doors and out into the night. Alex runs a hand through her hair, attempting to catch her breath, calm her body, recollect herself, before turning to push through the set of doors leading back into the bar. She doesn't speak to the woman again. Brushes past her without so much as a glance before sliding behind the bar and beginning as many of her nightly closing duties as she can.

And the next four hours are the longest of Alex's life.

Piper's waiting for her when she arrives home, and they circle each other silently for a moment as Alex discards her jacket. Eventually Piper approaches, sliding slowly up to her until their fronts are pressing lightly against each other. Alex waits as she tilts her head, running her nose along the curve of Alex's jawline before finally connecting their lips. Her hands rise to cup at Piper's jaw once more, pulling the younger girl into her more fully. Piper's hands dip across her hips, sliding up her back, and Alex slowly maneuvers them to the bedroom.

They start slow, exploring each other quietly with a timid sort of gentleness, as if afraid of scaring one another off. But it doesn't last, the wolves in them eventually taking over as they tussle, tangling themselves in the sweaty sheets. Piper laughs and Alex growls. Piper whines and Alex hums. Piper moans and Alex gasps. Their bodies twist and turn and tangle around each other as if they've always been created for _this very moment_. They leave teeth marks across each other's jaws, throats, and collarbones, scratch marks down one another's backs, arms, and thighs. They fuck hard and they fuck fast, slowing gently as the come to completion before starting right back up again.

Alex can't remember the last time she's had sex like this. The last time she's had _anything_ more than a quick cheap fuck in the back of a bar, or a unsatisfying one night stand that'd left her feeling more needy than she had to begin with. She _knows_ it's been awhile since Piper had had sex. She's never smelled the scent on her for as long as they've been together, and there's never been a night in which the blonde was _not_ curled silently on her couch since she'd arrived.

Eventually they slow again, finishing each other off with long languid thrusts of fingers buried deep between one another's legs. They hold each other's eyes throughout, until Piper can't hold hers open anymore, throwing her head back with a soft gasp as she she comes apart warmly over Alex's fingers. Alex isn't far behind, throwing herself over the edge immediately after, as if chasing Piper headlong into oblivion.

They curl against each other, much like the wolves do on nights spent in the woods, running after the full moon. Piper buries herself in the comforter as Alex drags it over them, then turns to curl her own body around Piper's spine. She tucks her face against Piper's neck, breathing deeply and humming softly, and Piper returns the quiet noise with a gentle kiss to Alex's knuckles before lacing their fingers. The wolves in them are silent, and Alex struggles to stay awake a little longer to bask in what it feels like. But she doesn't last, slipping quickly to sleep in the thick, heady air of the bedroom.

Things are relatively uneventful for awhile after that as they explore this new aspect to their relationship.

Alex no longer has to work quite so hard at controlling her wolf, and Piper's snapfire rages are easily diminished as quickly as they come. They take some time off, traveling to different areas, losing themselves deeper in the woods. Alex comments to Piper one night as they're tangled quietly in their sleeping bag, eyes on the dying light of the fire, that she's never felt such a calm with the beast before. She tells her she thinks she might love her.

"Careful," Piper murmurs quietly, "wolves mate for life."

And they're silent for a moment before Alex laughs softly, "Well then I guess I'm _certain_ I love you."

And Piper grins her sleepy grin that Alex can never resist, leaning up to press a slow and gentle kiss to Alex's own grinning lips, and murmurs "_Then I'm certain I love you too_."

And things are good.

For awhile.

Alex slips into the apartment quiet and on edge one night after finishing her shift at the bar. Piper wanders quietly from the bedroom at the sound of her presence and pauses in the hallway, watching as Alex stalks to the kitchen, running a hand through her hair. She creeps up behind her, sliding her arms around the older woman's waist and tucking her chin against her shoulder. Alex's muscles slowly relax under Piper's warmth.

"What's wrong?" She murmurs, lips brushing lightly at Alex's jawline.

"Nothing. I..." she falters, uncaps a beer, takes a swig, collects herself. Piper waits. "I met someone tonight."

"What do you mean?" Piper asks softly.

"I met another wolf." She murmurs.

Piper slides out from behind her to duck between her chest and the counter, "What?"

Alex nods, eyes faraway, as she thinks, "I met another wolf. She came into the bar, like she was _looking_ for me. Mentioned that she'd smelled me around, drifting around the outskirts of her territory."

"Was she angry?" Piper asks somewhat nervously.

"No..." Alex murmurs, ducking her head, meeting her gaze, "She has a pack."

"A pack? How many?"

"I dunno, she didn't say. But they want to meet us. She told me she knew I wasn't completely alone, and that wolves aren't solitary creatures and that we should consider grouping up with them. She invited us to meet them."

"Is it safe?" Piper asks quietly.

"I think if she'd wanted to kill us she could have done so a good while ago. From the way she was talking they've been keeping tabs on us for awhile."

They're silent a moment, Alex watching Piper closely as she chews over this information before raising her eyes to meet Alex's once more, "What do you think?"

She sighs, "I think we should give it a go. She seemed... _nice_. And maybe we _do_ need a pack."

Piper withdraws at that, pulling back slightly and gazing around the room. "Yeah," she murmurs absently, stepping away from Alex and moving back towards the bedroom.

Alex watches her go with a sigh, finishing her beer quietly before tugging her shirt over her head and following her down the hall.

They love each other slowly that night, speaking only through the animals inside them and their slow gentle touches. Eventually Piper falls asleep tucked against Alex's chest, and she runs her fingers through her blonde hair for awhile, lost in thought, before finally following her into slumber.

Nicky, is her name, and she shows up at the bar several more times throughout the next few weeks. She greets Piper warmly when she finally meets her, with an appreciative look and a charming grin. Piper returns it with reserve. They're talking freely by the end of the night though, and Nicky departs with a happy, "Great! I'll see you next week then, you're welcome to spend the entire weekend, get a feel for the group, see how a real pack functions with the change of the moon. Lookin' forward to seein' ya! You're in for a real treat." She knocks her knuckles twice against the bartop before slipping off into the night.

Alex meets Piper's eye over the counter, a silent conversation before Piper finally mutters, "She was nice." Alex smirks, dropping her attention to the glass she'd been cleaning as Piper continues, "I still don't know though..."

"Hey," setting the glass aside, Alex tucks a knuckle under Piper's chin, leading her gaze to her own. She strokes a thumb across Piper's jaw, coaxing out a small smile before murmuring, "It's going to be fine. And if you don't want to stick around then we won't stick around. We'll be together the whole time, nothing bad is going to happen. I promise. It's gonna be okay, kid."

Piper's face washes over in that gently trusting smile that Alex adores with a heavy sense of obligation, and she turns to press a kiss against Alex's lightly stroking thumb, "_Okay_."

Piper's skittish when Nicky introduces them to her pack, and Alex uses every opportunity to keep some sort of calming contact with her; a hand at the small of her back, fingers against the crook of her arm, an arm slung loosely around her shoulders. It helps, though not much. It's a small pack (that helps too), comprised of a handful of women, old and young. An all female pack, Alex notes with an odd sense of relief. She's only truly met a male wolf once in her life, and she's not entirely sure she's able to trust them. Not after watching Piper's blood drip from his jaws as he turned to face the woman who'd interrupted his meal. It's an image that still haunts her on long cold nights.

Nicky takes them around, making quite introductions, there's about eleven of them in total. Used to be more, but they'd recently lost a few, Nicky explains. Old age, lost fights, drug addictions. She lastly takes them to meet Red, the group's silently elected leader. A hard old thing she comes off more as a bear than a wolf and she looks them over with gruff acceptance before releasing them.

"She likes you!" Nicky titters laughingly as they head back out.

They stay with them for the weekend, joining them as they turn under the moon and stalk through the forest, a practiced machine of movement. They stick close together, never leaving one another's side. Eventually Nicky convinces them to stay, and Alex lets go of her old job, their old apartment, moving what little they have to the block the pack resides in. There's no need for them to work, the pack pulls the weight as a unit, keeping one another alive and fed with a shared sense of responsibility. Red has her own sort of business, an off the books trade, and they each put their time into it, hauling boxes, transporting goods, arranging meetups between between investors.

Though still weary, Piper eventually establishes some sort of mutual respect for the older woman. They'd butted heads at first, Piper's stubborn strong-willed resolve clashing with the woman's own bullheaded regime. She refused to tell Alex anything of it though, insisted it was fine, until finally, one day, it _was_. She's not entirely sure what went down between them in the few hours they'd spend apart in work, she's just glad they've sorted it out. Civilly. And without bloodshed.

Despite their acceptance, neither of them really settles in, never feeling quite as secure in the pack as they had in their own needlepoint existence. Piper begins growing jittery. Cagey and irritable in a way Alex had rarely seen since they'd begun the physical aspect of their relationship. And she begins to distance herself.

They're out with Nicky one night when the wild haired woman casually throws a suggestive comment at Alex, winking with a teasing leer. Piper growls instantly, deep in her chest, and Nicky backs away with her arms raised in surrender.

"Woah, easy there tiger!" She laughs, "All in good fun, I know she's spoken for. 'Can smell you two's scent all over each other."

Piper steps down, but her muscles stay tight for the rest of the night until Alex finally coaxes them into relaxation a few hours later between their sheets.

Alex asks her if she's okay and she tells her she's fine. She asks again and Piper tells her not to push it. She knows she's not fine but she also knows to let it rest until Piper decides to let her in. They stay with the group for several months, learning how to live within a pack. Nicky sometimes refers to it as her family, but Alex can never quite bring herself to call it as such. She's not sure Piper can either. They're a pack. Nothing more. And the thought that maybe there was something wrong with them tugs at Alex's mind sometimes before she chases it away, burying her face against the warm skin of Piper's neck and shoulders.

Nothing ever feels as whole as being with Piper.

Eventually though, Piper snaps. Nearly kills another person outside of a bar one night. She's a customer of Red's. A small mouthy thing who Red only tolerates for the people she's connected to. Piper's routes have been forcing them into contact with one another for the better part of two months before she finally loses patience with the girl's taunting and beats her half to death outside the bar they typically meet at.

Alex doesn't hear about it until it's too late, occupied by her own routes. She shows up at the complex some hours later and runs straight into Nicky, who catches her with palms raised and a nervous request to _stay calm_. She explains that Piper had gotten into some trouble on her run, nearly killed one of Red's contacts before Boo could haul her away. She'd done a number on Boo, herself, in the fallout. And Red was livid.

She pushes past Nicky, lost in her own anger and worry. Demanding to know where she was, where they'd put her. Nicky follows her, begging her to calm down, explaining that it'd been for Piper's own safety, as her wild rage had all but consumed her. She eventually gives up, leading Alex to the empty room they'd secured the girl in after the angry brunette had taken her by the lapels of her jacket and slammed her back against the wall. She cracks the door, allowing Alex to slip through before shutting it once more.

It's dark in the room, and Alex's senses take a second to adjust before landing on Piper's trembling form. She's hunched in the corner, hands buried in her hair as her body tremors with uncontrollable shakes. Alex approaches hesitantly, so as not to startle her. She calls out softly, "_Pipes_...", and Piper's head snaps up at her low voice. She launches herself into Alex's arms, a vibrating ball of terror and rage, and breaks down.

"Alex," She moans, "Alex, I killed her, didn't I? I killed her."

"What," Alex mumbles, attempting to put some space between them, attempting to catch her eye, "No, Piper, you didn't- she's not dead, you didn't kill her. It's alright. Take a breath. _Breathe_. Calm down. Shhh..."

Eventually she coaxes her down enough to pull away, meeting her watery blue eyes as her thumb wipes away the wet trails of her tears.

"Red's mad," Piper whispers, "I hurt Boo."

"Yeah you did," Alex murmurs, tucking her hair behind her ears, "but she'll heal. What about you? Are _you_ okay?"

Piper nods, swallowing thickly, before seeming to change her mind. "_No._" she cries softly.

"_Oh, Pipes..._" Alex sighs, tucking Piper's face against her neck.

They stand silently for a long time.

No one's around when they slip back into the hallway, probably in a meeting to discuss Piper's fate, and they return to their own room quietly. Packing their things, Piper sits dejectedly, watching Alex gather everything.

Nicky catches them in the hall when they slip from the room, beginning their departure.

She doesn't try to stop them. Instead trails after them for awhile before speaking.

"Y'know..." she begins, "I used to think a wolf without a pack was trouble waitin' to happen. A death wish, a'sorts. But now I'm not so sure. I think maybe some of us are _better off_ alone. And maybe those loners are better off _together_." She sighs, coming to a stop as they reach the end of the block, "I'm not gonna pretend I won't worry about ya. But I'm also not gonna pretend you two aren't more than capable of lookin' after one another in a way the rest of us don't quite understand. We're not gonna give chase. Red's mad, but she'll get over it." She cracks a sad smile, eyes flicking between the two of them thoughtfully, "you two never quite believed you belonged here, anyway, huh? And maybe that was partly our fault, but hey, like I said... maybe some of us are just better off alone." Nodding thoughtfully, she begins to turn, heading back, before pausing, "take care a'yourselves... take care a'_each other_. And come visit sometime, huh? After this all blows over. Maybe give it a few years?" She laughs, joking.

They travel aimlessly after that, moving deep into the woods, a silent mutual understanding. They need to distance themselves from the world for awhile.

They've been walking for the better part of the day before Piper finally murmurs, "Alex." and Alex tilts her head, letting her know she's listening. "You don't... You don't have to come with me." she whispers, "I know that... you've always wanted a pack, and _I'm_ the one who it fucked up. _I_ should be the one who leaves. You shouldn't have to give up anything else. Not because of me."

Alex stills, dropping the slow ambling pace they've since been keeping, and turns to face the blonde fully. Piper's eyes are studying the forest floor, her fingers twisting tightly against the straps of her backpack. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Alex demands softly, and Piper's eyes snap to her own, "Piper... I'm not going _anywhere_ without you. And you're not going anywhere without _me_. I already have a pack," she murmurs, stepping quietly towards the younger girl's space, "_and wolves mate for life_."

Piper watches her quietly for a moment, her eyes filling with thick tears, but she does not allow them to fall. Finally she seems to find what she was looking for in Alex's patiently waiting gaze and a heavy, wet laugh breaks from her lungs. That blooming smiles Alex loves is stretching across her lips and neither of them are entirely sure of who moved first but suddenly their mouths are dancing against each other as their fingers tangle in the fabric of one another's clothing.

The wolves who'd turned them may have abandoned them, leaving them for death, to fight for survival alone in a terrifyingly cruel new world.

But Alex Vause and Piper Chapman had made a pack.

And they were all they needed.

* * *

><p>I <em><strong>could<strong>_ potentially write a follow-up _afterwards_ to this. But for now let's not get too eager, huh?

**[edit]** also, I've received some crazy supportive comments throughout the last few chapters and I just want you guys to know that they mean a lot to me. Seriously. Some of the things you guys say really remind me of why I post here. Thank you. **/**


	19. Chapter 19

inspired by various band prompts and maybe, a little bit, _Walk The Line_ and _The Runaways_  
><em>huge<em> thank you to **orange dandelion  
><strong>(who lit a fire under my ass and actually turned this story into a legitimate thing instead of a half-assed collection of a million random ideas)  
>(this story is just as much <em>hers<em> as it is _mine_ in the end, and so I just want to say _thank you_ and _I love you_, you cheeky bitch)

* * *

><p>It started in a garage.<p>

A noisy way to kill those long summer days. A wild release of pent up anger and frustration. A far-fetched dream to chase in an attempt to escape from the desolate _nowehereness_ of the town. Alex's mom was hesitatingly encouraging. Supportive of her daughter's endeavors in the way a mother should be, but cautious in the way someone who's seen the darker side of it is. Nicky's mother didn't care at all.

They could have done it all at Nicky's. The bigger house, thicker walls, better equipment, all made a more nurturing environment for a budding musical career. But they wanted the full experience. So they dragged what they could of Nicky's equipment to Alex's garage. Alex's mother was rarely home anyway and the neighbors only complained if it went on past six.

They never intended to get serious about it.

Alex bought her first guitar when they were twelve, a grungy old thing tossed out at the local thrift store. She'd already gotten a taste for playing from the limited lessons the school music teacher was able to impart on her, and she found herself hooked. It'd been easy to convince Nicky to join her. She'd always had an unbridled energy and wild fondness for banging on things and _noise_. Her mother never questioned it when she asked for the money for a drum kit. They practiced relentlessly. Feverishly. Driven by wild dreams of fame and the intoxicating drive of youth. Eventually Nicky added a mixer, allowing them to expand their sound to a fuller range without expanding their band. She'd offered countless times to buy Alex a new guitar before finally understanding the brunette's need to achieve it on her own. On Alex's sixteenth birthday she bought her first _real_ instrument.

Gradually they began to understand that they were serious about it.

By the time they graduated high school they had an impressively growing collection of equipment. They'd started playing small paying gigs junior year. Birthday parties, battle of the bands, graduation parties. It was enough to keep them funded. The summer before senior year Nicky bought them a van. Alex protested at first, insisting Nicky allow her to pay her share, but the wild-haired girl shut her down quickly, telling her she could pay her back by never making her pay for gas. It was an agreement.

The remainder of the summer, and most weekends of the following year were spent traveling to gigs outside of town. Their grades dropped but their spirits soared and finally, after graduating high school by the skin of their teeth they were free. Music took full control of their lives and soon they were graduating from small parties to small bars. Word of mouth spread and eventually they were on the college circuit. Traveling from town to town and being offered exclusive nights at the more popular bars.

The perks began to roll in with their newly budding fame and soon they found themselves rarely without bedmates. College girls, Nicky declared one night, were the greatest thing to ever happen to them. Wild, experimental, and drunk on the newfound freedom of life away from Mommy and Daddy's watchful eyes. Rarely were they looking for anything more than a one night stand, and rarely did it take anything more than "I'm in the band" to peak their interest. They were rough and raw and in the prime of their lives and nothing could hold them down. Life had never been better.

Eventually though, Nicky began to notice a pattern to their travels.

She'd casually brought it up one night after a particularly well received gig, after they'd gotten just enough drinks into them.

"I notice this is the third time this month we've swung through Northampton," she mutters casually, "maybe we should rework our route a little, span out."

Alex's answer is immediate, "Why? I like it here. _They_ like _us_ here. And what's it matter if the pay's good?"

"'Ey, 'ey, I was just wonderin'," she mumbles, raising her hands in conceding defeat. She doesn't miss the way Alex's eyes scan the room every time the chimes above the door jingle. She opts for smiling knowingly into her drink. She'll let Alex have her secrets for now.

They were holed up in their motel room, one of their rare off days between close gigs in which they could actually kick back for a moment and relax, when Alex came swaying in.

"Well, well. Look who's _finally_ decided to stumble home. Where have _you_ been, missy?" Nicky drawls teasingly from the bed.

Alex can't quite keep the grin off her face when she answers, "Out."

"You dog." They share a laugh before she mutters, "you better watch it, Vause. You look positively smitten."

It would be a look she came to memorize.

The first time Nicky saw her, the object of Alex's new-found affections, was later that night. The brunette's gaze usually swept the crowd, teasing out a handful of girls, meeting Nick'ys between notes with a knowing grin. But that night it stayed fixed. A cute young blonde in the corner was gazing up at Alex adoringly and Nicky couldn't help the smirk that bloomed across her lips as the final pieces fell into place.

They stripped the stage quickly, Alex tossing a casual "Catch up later, Nichols!" over her shoulder before slipping into the crowd.

When she stumbled in hours later, same hazy grin alighting her face, their eyes locked and Nicky grinned, "what's her naaame?", and a blush of red tinged across the taller girl's cheeks (Nicky couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or the infatuation).

"_Piper,_" she breathed adoringly, and Nicky laughed.

She likes to say _that_ was the moment she _knew_.

.

Alex Vause meets Piper Chapman in a bar.

She'd been smitten from the moment she saw her. A shock of blonde hair bobbing through the crowd during one of their nights at a more popular bar, but she'd disappeared by the time Alex climbed from the stage. The second time they came, Alex caught sight of her shining blue eyes immediately, but she'd slipped away again before Alex could approach. The third time she'd come with a date, and Alex had taken another blonde home and fucked her senseless out of misplaced frustration before slipping out of her bed after she fell to sleep.

They'd been coming to Northampton for just over a month when Alex finally makes her move.

They were between gigs, a rare off day that she opted to spend building her tab in the bar as Nicky slept off a hangover back at their motel. She'd been drinking for an hour when the familiar head of blonde hair wanders in. She wastes no time approaching her.

Her eyes alight beautifully when she turns to see Alex.

"Aren't you in that band?" She asks after a few moments of teasing banter.

Alex laughs. She smiles. They share a drink.

They talk for hours before Alex finally invites her to their show later.

"Not that you really need an invitation..." she grins, "since you haven't missed a show yet."

"Oh, so you've noticed me?" Piper's eyes alight with unabashed glee and Alex smiles quietly into her drink.

"I may have seen you around."

"Hmmm..." Piper hums happily, "I've seen you around too," Alex sat up straighter as the girl leaned in towards her, "and I should probably confess I haven't exactly been coming for the music..."

Unable to fight the growing smirk upon her lips, Alex raises an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"It is," Piper whispers, her gaze dropping to Alex's lips before meeting her eyes once again with a mischievous grin, "your drummer is wicked hot."

A bark of laughter escapes Alex's lungs and Piper watches her adoringly.

"Yeah, Nicky's somethin' else," their gazes met once more, "I taught her everything she knows though."

"Did you?"

"I did." Alex leans in now, their faces inches apart, "and I can _promise_ you I'll show you a way better time that Nicky Nichols ever could."

The promise hangs thick in the air as they part ways to prepare for their re-meeting.

Alex's eyes never leave Piper as they play through their set and she jumps from the stage and into the crowd the second they finish. Piper takes her hand and leads her into the night.

.

Nicky hounds her for DAYS following her giddy admission.

"You fuck her?", "What's she like?", "She was cute, from the three seconds I saw of her.", "She's not gonna get in the way of the music, is she? 'Cause I swear, Vause, we are NOT big enough for a Yoko Ono yet.", "When you gonna let me meet her.", "I needa shake the hand of the woman who managed to fell the mighty Alex Vause." Alex brushes them off easily enough until Nicky finally askes "What kinda face does she make when she cums?"

"I don't know, Nicky! I haven't fucked her yet!"

"What!?" Nicky exclaims, and Alex is sure, had she not been driving, that the van would have come to a screeching halt, "Are you serious? What the fuck have you been doin' with her then!?"

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat for a moment, "We're just... talking."

"Vause..." Nicky tsks, "is this girl even on the level?"

"She's on the level, Nicky, trust me."

"Well, 'the fuck you know if ya haven't fucked her?"

"I _know_." Alex murmurs.

"Vause."

"We haven't been _entirely_ celibate, Nichols!" She finally explodes. "We're just... taking it slow," she trails off for a moment, her voice soft when she speaks again, "I like her."

"Ah, fuck." Nicky sighs, "C'mere, ya big lug," she mutters, throwing an arm around Alex as they wait for a light. "I'm happy for ya. Never thought I'd see the day." Their gazes lock as she levels a teasingly threatening finger at her friend, "don't fuck it up."

.

Piper Chapman soon after becomes a staple of their lives.

They find a way to weave all their paths possible through Northampton. Eventually coming upon the end of the school year, Alex murmurs to Nicky one quiet night after she asks her what's got her so thoughtful that Piper's graduating. She offers her quiet condolences before slipping from the room to leave the brunette to her thoughts.

They're out of town for three weeks just before Piper's graduation, hold ups and rescheduled gigs throwing their plans out of balance and keeping them longer than they'd initially intended. Alex drops Nicky off at their usual motel before heading over to Piper's. The house is dark when she arrives and her call goes directly to voicemail before she shoots off a quick text, settling into the front seat of the van.

She's smoking a cigarette against the side door an hour later when a loud group of girls turns the corner at the end of the street, stumbling against one another and laughing.

"Alex!" A familiar voice calls when they draw closer and the group pauses, quieting. She tosses her cigarette to the ground, stubbing it out with her toe before she's enveloped by a pair of arms. Piper's lips are on her own and she can taste the alcohol on them (she's sure Piper can taste the cigarettes on hers), "When'd'you get in? Why didn'you call?"

"I did," she murmurs gently, a soft grin breaking out across her features at the blonde's drunken slurring and overt affection, "you didn't answer."

"My phone died!" Piper suddenly exclaims, and Alex laughs. She's tired and sore and somewhat annoyed that she's just spent an hour sitting outside Piper's empty apartment, but all of that vanishes from her mind the second she's holding the blonde. Burying her face into Alex's neck, Piper murmurs, "'m glad you're back. 'Missed you."

She gazes over the blonde's head, watching as her friends file one by one into the house, whispering quietly to one another and shooting not so inconspicuous, curious glances over their shoulders at the couple.

"I missed you too, kid," she murmurs, burying her face against Piper's hair and inhaling her scent, "_too much_."

They stay holding each other a moment, content in the quiet summer night and one another's arms. Alex's fingers thread gently through Piper's golden locks, as the younger girl's hands weave their way into the cool material of her jacket. Eventually Piper pulls away, grasping her hand and leading them towards the door.

A few of the girls are sprawled out across the couches and floor as they make their way through the living room, another passes them in the hallway, eyeing them silently.

"Night, Polly," Piper murmurs as she tugs Alex along behind her.

"Night, Pipes."

They undress each other silently before Piper's bed, Alex watching from her position against the pillows as Piper shimmies out of her panties before crawling in beside her. They touch each other languidly and gently, falling apart with soft gasps and quiet shudders again and again before Piper finally succumbs to exhaustion. Alex traces gentle patterns against her skin.

"You're quiet tonight," Piper murmurs softly, lifting a hand to trace against Alex's collarbone. The initial haze of alcohol has burned off, leaving her sleepy and slow. Alex captures her wandering hand, dropping a gentle kiss to her palm as she plays with Piper's fingers. "What's wrong?" Piper's brow furrows in confusion and Alex can't help but smile at the sight.

"You're cute," she murmurs, leaning in to press a kiss against her still furrowed brow before pulling back with a sigh, "I met my dad..." Piper stills, quietly waiting for Alex to continue, "He offered us a gig. Like... a pretty _big_ gig."

"Alex that's great!" Piper exclaims softly. Alex continues to study her hand. "What's wrong?"

"It's a cross country thing," Alex murmurs, and Piper's face falls.

"Oh." She regains herself quickly, "but, I mean, this is what you wanted, right? A chance to finally pull some real crowds?"

"Yeah..." Alex murmurs distractedly. She leans once more to capture Piper's lips.

It's the last they speak about it for the night.

.

They stay grounded for a week.

Piper's graduation approaches with the coming weekend and it's an unspoken understanding that Alex will freak out should they happen to miss it. Nicky makes sure there's no chance of that by quietly forgetting to book anything new until at least midway through the following week. It's a welcomed vacation after the near-month spent away (Nicky won't admit the town's come to grow on her too, New Jersey will always be their home but Northampton has become their home away from).

It's not until the day after Piper's graduation that Alex brings it up again.

They hadn't spoken about it since that night, save for Piper asking when they'd be leaving.

They're lounging around Piper's room, her roommates out for the night, day two of their weekend-long, post-graduation bender. Alex watches intently as Piper's hips sway to the soft music drifting through the room around them. She's lazily packing her things, reminding Alex of their dwindling time.

"Spend the summer with me," she suddenly says after the blonde turns to toss her a slow smile.

"What?" Piper murmurs, pausing her task, turning to face the older girl once more.

"Spend the summer with me," she repeats. "You're done with school, your lease is up, the only concrete plan you have is 'move back in with my parents', which I _know_ you'll hate..." she trails off, leaning off the bed towards the slowly approaching blonde, "this summer is going to be the last time in who knows _how_ long that we'll really have to spend together."

"Alex, I... I mean... I wouldn't have a job, or..."

"You don't need one," Alex murmurs, wrapping her arms around her now that she stood enough to the bed, "we're making more than enough money to get by already. And we'll be making almost triple that when the tour kicks off in August." She fidgets nervously, suddenly self-conscious. Her next words coming out softer, "I don't wanna say goodbye to you. To _this_. Not yet." Her lips brush Piper's collarbone, a gentle kiss, "I want you to come with us," she leans into her, their bodies meeting as their lips hover over each other.

"C'mon, babe..." Alex murmurs and Piper is powerless to resist, "_I want you to come_."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Alex repeats, suddenly giddy. She's holds back though, waiting for confirmation, as if afraid she'd somehow misheard the girl, "Okay?"

"_Yes_."

They spend the next few hours tangled in each other and Piper's bed sheets before she finally rises, pulling Alex's discarded t-shirt over herself and beginning to prepare for the trip. She starts with the calls. One to Polly explaining the decision, asking for cover. One to her parents to relay the newly planned lie ("Yeah, Polly and some of the girls and I decided it'll be good for us, one last hurrah before we really enter the adult world, y'know, for good.") Alex watches her sleepily from the bed and absently notes that Piper, in her borrowed shirt and nothing else, freshly disheveled from their tumble through the sheets, and packing for their next destination _together_, is a sight she could get used to.

She falls to sleep with a smile on her lips.

.

They plan tentatively.

They've got just over three months before the Death Maiden tour kicks off.

Three months to formulate their _own_ travels. Three months to follow wild desire and unbridled hearts. Nicky wastes no time planning a wider map of travel. Intending to cover as much of the east coast in the short span of time that they have before heading to New York to meet up with the tour. Polly's renting a place in the city and they agree to look at it as a tentative end point as far as planning ahead goes.

And so they spend the summer traveling.

Making their way state to state, playing in venues and on campuses they've not yet discovered but will surely be invited back to. It rolls on around them haze of blurred nights and the invincibility of wild youth. They head west (Piper telling them which towns to hit and which to avoid as they pass through her neck of Connecticut), opting to avoid NYC as they pass through the state ("A grand finale of sorts... it'd ruin the effect to hit it now!"), it doesn't take them long to reach New Jersey. Deciding to spend a week in their old town, Nicky calls it a "deep breath before the plunge". A mini vacation of sorts before the solid weeks of nonstop travel really kick in.

She abandons them almost the instant they roll into the small town ("Not that I don't love the shit outta you two, but if I'm gonna spend the next three months crammed inside a smelly van, moving from shitty motel bed to shitty motel bed, then I'd like to spend as much time with my _own_ bed as possible. You understand." departing with a wink and a knowing smirk, tossing a teasing "Have fun!" over her shoulder as she disappears) and they stay sitting in the van a moment, sharing timid, giddy smiles before Alex throws it into reverse and directs them toward her own home.

Her mother's in the apartment when they arrive, Alex having called the night before to let her know they'd be arriving sometime the following afternoon. She sets aside whatever she was doing to smother her daughter in a fierce hug, dropping a multitude of kisses against the side her head as Alex grumbles good-naturedly (but Piper doesn't miss how her arms tense just as fiercely around the older woman's frame). Introductions are made and Piper finds herself swept up as the older woman's arms grasp her shoulders, scrutinizing the girl who's captured the affections of her daughter before allowing her face to break out in a large grin ("So you're the famous Piper, huh? It's good to finally meet ya, I've heard enough about ya that I feel like I already know you." And when she chuckles Piper does too, comforted at the thought that she's not the only who feels as though this isn't just a first meeting).

The van stays parked outside Alex's house for the entire week. Opting to travel by her mother's car instead, they all agree a break away from their "home on wheels" is some much needed relief right now. They spend their first night in. Piper exploring Alex's room quietly as the older girl busies herself with unpacking various items of clothing. Eventually Alex finishes, pulling the wandering blonde to the bed with her gently. They lay facing each other a moment, imparting quick gentle kisses on one another's lips interspersed with soft giggles.

Alex takes her through the town by day, sharing with her all the places that formed she and Nicky into the people they are. Piper laps it all up with eager eyes and enchanted questions and suddenly Alex finds herself loving all the places she once couldn't wait to escape from. She takes her to different places at night, _secret places_, that hold a little more meaning, but have never held more meaning than they do now, with the blonde at her side.

She takes her to the drive-in one night, Diane's night off leaving them with unlimited access to the car.

They're cuddled against each other, Piper murmuring softly as the movie plays, a million different questions about the part of Alex's life she'd missed. Eventually Alex lets slide that it happened to be the spot where she'd lost her virginity, a million nights ago on another summer evening not unlike this one. Piper falls silent, studying her quietly at the soft admission and Alex turns to meet her curious gaze.

"What're you thinking?"

She smiles slowly, eyeing the brunette through a hazy half-lidded gaze, "That I wish I'd grown up in a back-alley town in New Jersey instead of rural Connecticut."

Alex chuckles lowly, settling further into Piper's body, "Why do you say that?"

"Because I think losing my virginity in the back of my mother's car to the town's resident bad girl would've been a much more pleasant memory than losing it in the backseat of Jimmy Shepard's pickup truck after a winning football game."

Their foreheads are resting gently against one another by the time she finishes speaking, and they gaze into each other's eyes with a deepness they've not yet shared before this moment. Alex raises a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Piper's ear before bringing their lips together slowly. Their eyes fall closed as they pepper gentle, languid kisses across one another's lips, Alex eventually sliding her mouth against Piper's ear to whisper, "I'm so glad we decided to skip that stupid football game tonight. I can show you a much better time than Jimmy Shepard."

She pulls back, Piper eyeing her confusedly for a moment before catching on, "Me too..." she fixes Alex with a look of such innocence that it nearly breaks her heart in two, and she drags her thumb gently across the blonde's lip as she continues, "I've had such a huge crush on you for such a long time... I never thought you'd actually be interested in a girl like me."

Cocking her head slightly, a small grin works it's way across Alex's face as she continues to trace the blonde's lower lip, "What do you mean?"

"I mean... you're so cool and I'm so... not. I never thought you'd even notice me."

"You're the _only_ thing I've noticed," Alex murmurs, pulling her in for a soft kiss that slowly becomes more.

She's leaning over Piper, encouraging her to lay against her back across the cool cushions of the back seat. Nestled between the blonde's legs, her fingers dip teasingly under the hem of her shirt as Piper gasps softly beneath her.

"Piper," she whispers, "have you ever done this before?"

"_No_." The blonde hushes. "_But I trust you_."

Alex eyes her quietly a moment before leaning up to connect their lips in a deep kiss once more. Her hands cup Piper's jaw as the deepens the kiss, her thumbs tracing gently across her cheekbones before pulling away. She undresses her slowly (slower than Jimmy Shepard ever did in the backseat of his old pickup truck) and she touches her gently (gentler than Jimmy Shepard ever did in his haste to lose his _own_ virginity), and Piper sighs quietly (more overwhelmed by emotion than she'd ever been with _any_ of the boys she'd slept with before Alex).

"I like the line between your belly and your thighs," Alex whispers softly, her fingers trailing a burning path across Piper's skin as she pushes her shirt slowly up her stomach. Her lips follow, still murmuring, "The smell of your hair, the sparkle in your eyes." (and Piper's legs tremble when she hears those words repeated a week later into the mic in the middle of a show.)

Her exploration is a gentle one, as if truly discovering the girl beneath her for the first time. They take their time, fumble like two awkward kids against the constrained confines of the car, swallow one another's soft gasps and gentle exclamations as it all becomes too much. The credits have begun to roll when Alex hands her her shirt back, murmuring a gentle "_I love you._" against her lips.

It's the first time she's said it and Piper freezes, caught in a wave of emotions before breathing out something between a laugh and a sigh against the older girl's lips.

"_I love you too._"

They spend their last night in town in Alex's living room.

Diane's out with some friends for the evening, at Alex's soft insistence that she not put her life on pause for them. Piper's spent a good fifteen minutes flipping through her impressive record collection before settling on a decision, and Lou Reed's voice drifts quietly from the speakers around the room. Alex occasionally strums along here and there as she fiddles with one of her old guitars when Piper begins to sing along softly. Alex's gaze flicks from the strings of the guitar, fingers stilling, as she watches the blonde slowly sway beside the record player.

Her fingers begin moving on their own accord and soon she's playing along to the music. Piper turns, throwing a half-lidded look over her shoulder as Alex's strumming begins to pick up. The rest of her body follows, as she leans back to balance against the old record player, dipping low as she twists in her slow dance. Her eyes meet Alex's as she continues to sing softly, the world melting away around them as they get lost in their own private show. A quiet performance for each other and no one else.

Eventually Piper sways close enough to Alex, sliding slowly over her lap, effectively stilling her hands on the guitar between them as the final notes of the song fade away. Murmuring the final few words against Alex's lips as she slowly sets the guitar to the side, pulling the blonde more fully against her. They kiss languidly, unhurriedly, losing track of the time and themselves as Alex's hands slide up Piper's sides before running down her back and slipping under her thighs. Eventually she stands, hefting Piper into her arms, their lips never breaking, even as Piper grins giddily against her mouth. A laugh escapes her throat, Alex claiming it as her own, as she slowly makes their way to her room.

The roll out just after dawn. Alex and her mother sharing a slightly teary-eyed hug outside their apartment before breaking apart. Piper keeps her eyes lowered, giving them their privacy as she hefts their bags of freshly washed clothes into the van. She's eventually pulled into her own hug though, as she make her way over to Alex. Momentarily struck by the older woman's gesture of affection, Piper's arms soon raise to return the embrace.

"And don't you be such a stranger," Diane murmurs teasingly into the blonde's hair before they pull apart.

Piper watches as Diane grows smaller and smaller when the van pulls away, taking them towards Nicky's house and the rest of the summer. She'd liked the older woman. She'd held a warming sort of acceptance that Piper never quite got from her _own_ mother. Alex had explained to her in bed one night about how her mother had met her father, and Piper had listened in quiet intrigue at the woman's travels with the band she'd fallen in love with. She wondered if Diane had seen some of herself in her, in the veiled looks they'd shared sometimes when Alex's back was turned as she rambled on about her music. She stares until Diane disappears from view.

Nicky's waiting for them when they pull up outside her house.

A wry grin decorating her face and thick aviator sunglasses hiding her eyes. She teases them a bit, good-natured heckling about how they spent their week, before turning her attentions to matters at hand. Alex and her discuss travel plans for awhile, Piper dozing on and off as New Jersey passes by around them. Eventually Nicky falls silent, a parting mutter about "way too damn early" and catching up on her beauty sleep, before she begins to doze as well. Alex's fingers thread through Piper's hair as she watches the road and listens to the steady breathing filling the silence of the van. She thinks about her mother and her father and the endless summer stretched before them and as Piper shifts gently against her and Nicky lets out a quiet grunt she thinks there's nowhere else she'd rather be.

.

They continue their two beds, single room arrangement, Nicky managing to find willing bodies to take her home often enough for Alex and Piper to have nights to themselves.

There are nights though when Nicky doesn't manage to find any intriguing girls amongst the crowd, and instead graces them with her presence, sticking around after cleanup has finished and the show is long over. Sometimes they hang around the bar, Alex wrapped firmly around Piper, front pressed against the blonde's back as they share a drink, Nicky in the stool beside them blowing smoke rings or regaling them with some tale or another. Sometimes they finish packing the van and drive aimlessly until they find the town's most inviting 24-hour diner and pick at desserts or fries, sipping at coffee or milkshakes until they can no longer keep their eyes open and they're the only souls left in the dining room. And sometimes they head straight back to the hotel, and collapse tiredly into the beds, taking turns traveling through the bathroom and pulling on pajamas quietly, soft teasing conversations and lighthearted nonsensical observations being volleyed back and forth in hushed voices. Sometimes Nicky turns the TV on and they make fun of whatever local access programs they can find in the late hours of the night.

Other nights they're restless.

Piper has never been one to misbehave. Not before abandoning her after-college plans and expectations to follow her secret girlfriend's band state to state. Not before Alex and Nicky came into her life. She's never held a can of spray paint before Nicky and the night she decides they need to add their own tag to an already decorated wall in a small and sleepy town on the outskirts of Virginia. She's never swam in anything less than a bikini until Alex and the night she convinces her to shed her clothes and follow her into a not entirely secluded motel pool. And she's never tried anything stronger than _alcohol_ until the night they find themselves at some wild party after a show and someone passes her a cigarette that turns out to not be a cigarette at all. Alex takes it from her hand, draws a lung full of smoke and passes it to Nicky who in turn does the same. Everything gets fuzzy at some point and by the end of the night she's taking turns sharing lung fulls of the tangy smoke with Alex (drawing a breath, filling their lungs, connecting their mouths, and _letting go_), and Piper's later struck by just how little she's actually bothered by it.

.

Alex eventually comes to learn that Piper likes to write.

She's rifling through an assortment of what can only be described as _junk_ in the van when she happens upon a worn old notebook. Picking it up curiously, she thumbs through a couple pages before coming to recognize Piper's sharp handwriting. Her eyes skim over a handful of words, picking up on an eventual pattern. _Poetry_. Piper was writing poems.

She spends several minutes gazing through the collections of words, memorizing what she can. She vaguely wonders when the blonde's found the time to fill so many pages of the book, as she's never seen her with it before. Her fingers trace across the scatterings of ink as she reads through each poem, one by one, until the light begins to change and the motel door swings open. A barrage of questions and giggling laughter tumbles through the open door at her ("YO, VAUSE, YOUR GIRL AND I GOT TIRED OF WAITING FOR YA AND DECIDED TO ELOPE TOGETHER! IN THE EVENT THAT YOU'RE STILL ACTUALLY _ALIVE_ DOWN THERE PLEASE CONSIDER SLEEPING IN THE VAN TONIGHT AS WE'LL BE NEEDING THE ROOM TO CONSUMMATE OUR MARRIAGE!" "Alex! Don't listen to her! I still believe you're out there, I refuse to give up on you, baby, please come home!") and she bites back a grin, tucking the old notebook back where she found it.

They're sprawled across the floor between the two beds, a mess of cards and half-finished beer bottles between them, laughing like children when she slips back into the room. And she can't quite help pausing in the doorway for a moment, watching two of the three people she loves most in the world as they laugh and throw cards at each other. And Piper's eyes alight when she catches sight of her lingering in the doorway, arms outstretching in a silent plea for her. And when she slides to the floor behind her, tugging her giggling body snugly against her own as Nicky harasses her with teasing grumbles about how long she'd taken she thinks there's nothing she'd trade this for in the world.

.

Eventually July gives way to August, and they're suddenly reminding of their fleeting time.

They kiss just a little more urgently, fuck just a little more desperately, hold each other just a little more tightly.

Nicky spends the last week out of the room for the most part, Piper and Alex desperately trying to soak up every last second they can in one another's presence.

They arrive in New York a day and half before the tour kicks off, spend an inordinate amount of time just standing outside of Polly's apartment, holding each other. Piper's eyes are hollow and misty when they pull apart (Alex isn't quite sure her's don't look the same). Piper tells her she's going to miss her at least thirty times, finally heaving a heavy, wet sigh as Nicky eventually realizes that they're not going to part on their own terms. She honks once, a gentle reminder to wrap it up as Alex tucks a strand of blonde hair behind an ear. "_I'll call you_," She promises against gasping lips as they share one final kiss before turning to climb back into the van. Piper watches them disappear completely before turning to follow Polly into the apartment.

They last nine hours.

It's three am when Piper's phone vibrates.

She rolls over, grabbing the almost-foreign object sluggishly before it can wake her housemate. She hasn't been to bed yet, unused to sleeping without Alex's steady breathing beside her, unused to soft beds and big open rooms and this new all encompassing _loneliness._ "Hello?"

"_Pipes..._"

The wind rushes from Piper's lungs as her heart skips a beat then begins thudding against her chest madly, as if trying to escape (as if trying reach the familiar husky timbre itself, Piper's ribs and lungs and body be damned), "_Alex!_"

They're whispering, she's not sure why, a gentleness to their voices as if each are afraid to shake the delicate bubble they know they shouldn't have created (not now, not a handful of hours before the tour when they should be attempting to reestablish their lives _without_ one another) and yet...

"I just... I need..." Alex falters, silently angry with herself for reasons only clear to _her_, before finally murmuring, "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Piper whispers back, "_Al..._"

"I know."

They sit in silence for awhile (Piper loses track of how long, Alex has always been good at blurring her perception of time), finally Alex heaves a heavy wet sigh, not unlike the one that passed Piper's lips as they said their goodbyes, "I don't think I can do this, Pipes."

"What?"

"I can't even last eight fucking hours how am I gonna last six months to a year?"

"I know."

"I haven't been to sleep yet."

"Me either."

"I can't... I don't know how to sleep without you beside me anymore," Alex admits softly and Piper bites back some sort of sob.

"_Me either_."

"Piper..." She pauses. Her breath hitches. Piper's heart stills. "_Come with me_."

A whoosh of air leaves her lungs as the words leave Alex's lips. She knew her answer before Alex even asked. It's not even a question anymore. The hesitance of the first time she asked is gone, replaced with an overwhelming sense of sureness. This is where Piper is supposed to _be_. She's only been apart from Alex for _eight hours_ but in this eight hours she's never felt more incomplete in her life.

"_Where are you?_"

"I'm outside Polly's apartment."

"I'll be down in a second."

She grabs her bag, untouched from where she flung it eight hours prior. Still packed as if they'd always known this arrangement was only temporary. She slips into Polly's room, shakes her awake, explains the situation, promises she'll call her when she's more awake to fully explain. Alex is leaning against the van when she tumbles through Polly's door several minutes later and the image is achingly familiar; Piper's suddenly transported back to the days spent in school. Month long stints apart, pining for one another's embrace, late night phone calls and the _beautiful_ image of that familiar old van _finally_ parked out front, Alex leaning tiredly against it.

She launches herself into Alex's arms, not breaking stride as she flies out of the house and down the stairs. Her bag abandoned, forgotten, at their feet as Alex's arms wrap possessively around her. They're lost in one another's lips, the rest of the world falling away around them as they rest their foreheads gently against each other.

"_Hey,_" Alex breathes, a silent laugh.

"_Hey_."

They don't say anything else, heaving her bag into the van, climbing in side by side, pressing together grinning mouths, capturing wandering hands. Nicky is asleep when they slip quietly into the hotel room, though Piper thinks she catches sight of a knowing smirk as she tucks her head against Alex's chest. She buries her own grin in Alex's collarbone. Alex buries hers against the crown of Piper's head. And everything feels right again.

.

They meet the band early, checking their old van at a storage lot after depositing their things into the newly provided tour bus.

Smaller than the actual band's bus, but bigger than their own dingy van, they explore it in quiet wonder for a moment before busting into excited pearls of laughter. There's a small brunette behind the wheel and Nicky wastes no time chatting her up ("Okay, you absolutely gotta let me take a crack at drivin' this thing at some point."), leaving Piper and Alex to themselves for the time being.

Sliding onto their designated bunk, Piper watches as Alex finishes fiddling with a few of her things, eyes sweeping the expanse of the bus anxiously as she sinks to the edge of the bed beside her.

"_Hey,_" she touches a gentle hand to Alex's back, rubbing smooth circles between her shoulder blades to catch her attention, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just..." she breathes out shakily, "I can't believe this is happening, you know? It's all kind of... overwhelming."

Piper's hand continues it's gentle caresses and Alex turns, eyeing the blonde behind her before grinning giddily and swinging herself fully onto the small bed. They lie face to face, nose to nose, watching each other quietly before Piper stifles a yawn. Alex laughs.

"Are you tired?"

"A little bit... _Someone_ kept me up all night last night." She narrows her eyes playfully.

Another quiet laugh escapes Alex's lips as she leans in to press them against Piper's, "Mmm... we should take a nap then."

"Mmmm..." Piper hums happily, "I think I could get used to being able to take a nap on a _bed_ instead of the hard seat of a van for once."

Alex chuckles softly, tucking a strand of hair behind Piper's ear, "Me too, kid. Me too."

.

It's a good thing. For awhile.

They're playing for crowds they'd never imagined they could reach, traveling in a style they'd never thought they could afford. For a moment Alex allows herself to hope. To believe that this stupid pipe dream could actually turn out to _be_ something and that maybe, for the first time in her life things will _work_. The band welcomes them enthusiastically, roaring laughter and clinking beer bottles shared over a loudly slurred toast after a successful first night, and as she shares a grin across the room with her father (_father_, she thinks, _my fucking **father**_).

For a moment Alex Vause allows herself to _believe_.

The parties are wild. One every night, _multiples_ on the weekend, and Lee takes them to every one.

"Ya see, kid!" He exclaims one night, arm slinging around Alex as if letting her in on a secret, "THIS is what it's all about! Sex, drugs, and rock n roll!"

Alex laughs with him when he leans away, before turning her attention to the pair of arms sliding around her waist. _Piper_. She turns and presses a deep kiss to her waiting lips, grinning giddily against them when they part, "_Hey_."

"Hey," she responds, blue eyes shining, "you were great tonight, I don't think I've ever seen you so impassioned."

Alex grins once more, pressing another kiss to her lips before sliding to her ear to whisper something about showing her _impassioned_. Piper's cheeks are a faint red when she pulls back and she doesn't think her pupils had been that large when she first lent in. She's about to say something else when Lee interrupts, and her attention is split. He shoves another drink in her hand, notices Piper for the first time, and slurs something indecipherable before tugging them deeper into the party. And it's exciting. For awhile.

.

They're a good month and a half into the tour, pent up in a hotel for the night, a chance to free themselves from the stuffy tour buses. Nicky's stretched across the couch in their connecting suite, shuffling through a couple pages of expenses and schedules when she first brings it up.

"Hey, not that I'm complaining or anything, but when the hell we gonna start picking up some cash? I mean, we are getting paid for this, right?"

"Yeah, we're getting _paid_, Nicky," Alex bristles.

"A'right!" She exclaims, raising her hands in defense, "I'm just saying, we been doin' this for how long now and I've yet to see a single cent."

"It's coming. Okay? Calm the fuck down, what exactly do you need it for anyway, they're putting us up and paying for gas as it is."

"A girl's got other expenses, Vause, alright? I mean shit, it'd be nice to have a little something to play with. I'm staying in a semi-fancy hotel room, and traveling by tour bus but I can't even afford to walk down to the local seven eleven and buy a burrito!"

"Shut the fuck up, Nicky. Order some room service if you're so fucking hungry."

There's a tense silence lingering in the room when Piper finally wanders through. In the middle of toweling her hair dry, she pauses, eyes flicking from Alex (sitting sullen and tense on the chair in corner of the room) to Nicky (who meets her gaze and shrugs helplessly).

"What's goin' on?" She murmurs, making her way over to the quiet brunette. She threads her fingers gently through Alex's hair when she reaches her, eventually sinking into her lap when she relaxes under the gentle touches.

"Nothing." Alex murmurs, burying her nose against Piper's still damp neck and drawing a deep breath.

They let it lie for awhile.

The parties become a more frequent thing.

.

They're going on three months when things begin to grow tense.

Alex insists on making an appearance at _every_ party Lee invites them to and Piper's begun to lose interest in the wild nights full of people she doesn't know. She's beginning to grow tired of the way the band members hit on her when Alex's attention is focused elsewhere, she's beginning to resent the way Alex drags her from place to place, forgetting about her the second Lee comes calling. They're going on three months when Piper begins to realize she's growing disenchanted with their new lives.

They've begun having arguments, small petty disagreements spurred by passive aggressive snipping and moody off-hand comments designed to wind one another up. They know what to say to throw in one another's faces and they know when to drag the right weaknesses out.

"I don't want to go to another party, Alex!" Piper snaps one night, and Alex falters. "I've barely seen you all week and now, the first night we get where you aren't practicing and don't have a show, and you want to spend it at _another_ party with those guys!?"

"_Those guys_!? Piper _those guys_ are my _dad_, _those guys_ are the entire fucking reason we're where we are! They're the reason you don't have to work or move back in with your parents or stay grounded in your boring life back in Connecticut! And fucking _excuse me_ for enjoying their company!" She's shouting by the she finishes. Piper opens her mouth to retort, reconsiders, closes it.

"Go," she eventually murmurs, gazing at the far wall. She rubs a hand down her face, turns back towards the bedroom, "I don't care anymore, Alex."

The door clicks shut.

Alex gazes at it for a moment, hot anger flooding her veins, before turning to leave.

She stays at the party for all of two hours before giving up and returning to the hotel room.

Piper's soft voice is drifting gently from the cracked door of the bedroom when she ease back through the front door, and for a split second Alex stills, panic washing over her as she wonders who the blonde is with. It only lasts a moment though, as she quickly figures out it's the telephone Piper's speaking to. Pausing outside the door when she catches her name, she strains to hear the muffled conversation.

She picks over a few scattered sentences, soft spoken words missing here and there before she realizes it's her mother Piper is talking to. _HER_ mother. And she's gripped with a momentary confusing possessiveness. She lingers outside the door, straining to hear.

"How did _you_ deal with it?" Piper asks softly, and Alex racks her hazy brain to figure out what the context could be. A quiet melancholy laugh draws her attention back to the blonde, "Yeah... I don't want to lose her though," and Alex squeezes her eyes shut against the wavering emotions in Piper's voice.

She draws a breath, stepping away from the door, suddenly feeling dirty, as if she's intruded on something personal. She'll go for a walk, smoke a cigarette, clear her mind and leave them to their hushed conversation for now.

Piper's gaze flicks to the shifting shadows at the doorway as she leaves.

Alex slips back in an hour later.

The bedroom is dark and silent and she sheds her clothing quietly in the darkness. Slipping in quietly behind Piper, she buries her face with a sigh in her blonde locks and drops a kiss to the back of her neck. Then another. And another.

"Alex," Piper eventually murmurs, and she stills, "you're crushing me."

Suddenly she's aware of her arms, and how they'd slowly been tightening around the smaller girl, pulling her deeper and deeper into her chest.

"Sorry," she whispers, bites back what might be a sob, and apologizes again, "_I'm sorry, Pipes_."

Piper's hand rises to glide along her forearms, pulling her tighter once more. A silent affirmation. And Alex buries her face in Piper's hair once more.

They're okay for awhile.

.

But they can't make it last.

And suddenly it seems like for every one step Alex takes forward, together they take another two _back_.

Piper's stopped coming to parties altogether. Alex has stopped inviting her.

They've had another argument the night it happens.

She sulking around another party, desperately trying reach a nice buzz when Lee calls out to her, "Hey, kiddo! C'mere!" He's standing with another man, one Alex has never seen before, and they smile when she approaches, "I want you to meet Fahri," Lee proudly exclaims, "he's a... heh... a real good friend of mine."

The man nods, quietly eyeing her, and Alex extends her hand, "hey... Alex."

Lee nudges him as he grasps her outstretched hand, a polite shake, "Kid's havin' girlfriend troubles, if you know what I mean. Why don't you, uh... fix her up?"

He departs with a wink, leaving Alex to stare questioningly at the man as he smirks, pulling something from his pocket.

"What is this?" She asks, taking it.

"Cocaine." He says as if it's the most natural thing in the world, "want a bump?"

Her eyes grow wide for a second before she schools her features to an impassive blankness once more, "no thanks."

She makes to hand it back but he raises his hand, "consider it a gift."

"I don't-"

"You don't have to use it. Hold onto it. Save it. Throw it out. It's yours to decide what to do with. A sort of... _welcome to the tour_ gesture." He departs with a final knowing smile, slipping into the crowd with ease, leaving Alex to stare at the small object in her hand.

_I'll pitch it later_, she thinks.

She sticks it in her pocket.

Later she stumbles back into the room, out of her mind on alcohol and pot and leaning heavily against Nicky as they giggle about anything and everything like a couple of giddy school girls. Dropping heavily onto the couch, Nicky lets out an explosive giggling sigh and Alex shushes her as she attempts to stifle a laugh of her own.

"Ah... fuck," Nicky grins as they calm down. She sniffs, pulling something from her pocket and studies it in the dim light of the room.

"What is that?" Alex asks loudly and it's Nicky's turn to shush _her_ with a quiet laugh, "Cocaine. Guy named Fahri gave it to me. 'Parently he supplies the band."

"And you took it?" Alex asks.

"Fuck yeah I took it!" Nicky laughs, "lemme tell ya, Vause. This shit is WILD. I've never felt so..." she falters, searching for the right word, before giving up (or forgetting) entirely, "I can get ya some, if ya want?"

"Nah, I... he gave me some already."

"Shit, Yeah?" Nicky exclaims.

"Yeah."

"Well I'm telling ya, Vause... _WILD_."

They fall silent after that, the room slowly fading out of focus around them as they eventually lose consciousness.

She wakes up some hours later, Nicky nowhere to be seen when she lifts her head, peering blearily around the room. She catches Piper's eye when her gaze sweeps past the small kitchenette. She's holding a steaming mug of what Alex assumes is coffee, which she sets aside to pick up a glass.

"Well, what do you know," she murmurs, crossing the room to deposit the glass of what looks to be water and two little white pills on the end table across from Alex's face, "she lives." Alex lets her head fall back to the cushions with a groan. "Get up," Piper murmurs as she picks her mug back up and heads toward the bedroom, "we're leaving in an hour."

.

Piper's out visiting friends the first time she gets high. _Really_ high. Something more than Nicky's "_hey Vause, I got the shit, let's smoke up_" high.

They're with Lee and the band, already half out of their minds on alcohol and weed when people start doing lines, and before she knows it she and Nicky have joined in. She loses track of herself for the rest of the night. She's only _vaguely_ aware of Nicky's presence beside her before her attention turns to a young blonde grinning at her from the opposite end of the couch and suddenly she remembers her _own_ blonde.

She stumbles the whole way back to the hotel room (how she managed to actually make it there, she'll never know) and begins calling out loudly before she finally remembers. Piper had had some friends in this city, old acquaintances from college or high school or _some_ point in time before Alex that she couldn't quite bring herself to care about. She won't be back until the following afternoon.

She wrestles her clothes off, bumbles around the room for awhile before finally landing at the room's mini bar. She doesn't remember how much she drinks, but the phone is off it's cradle, softly beeping next to her head when she wakes up the following morning. She spends the next few hours in the bathroom, hunched over the toilet. She's back in bed by the time Piper finally strides through the door.

"Hey," she husks groggily, "J'ya have fun?"

Piper only hums, and it takes Alex a second longer than usual to notice she's _pissed_.

"What?" She finally mumbles, rolling over to watch the blonde flit restlessly around the room, picking up the stray clothing and bottles Alex had discarded around the room throughout her stupor the night before.

"Nothing." Piper states in a clipped tone, and Alex rolls her eyes with a wince. _Still dizzy_.

"Piper. Please just tell me what's wrong. I'm so not in the right mindset for passive aggression today."

She buzzes about the room in silence for a few moments longer and Alex nearly gives up and rolls back over before she finally straightens and mutters, "I got some interesting voicemails from you last night."

"What?" Alex's eyebrows furrow before her gaze darts to the forgotten phone on the pillow beside her, "_Fuck_."

"Yeah. That's what I said too. What the fuck, Alex! Were you _high_!? Like _obliterated_ high?"

Her blood runs cold but is quickly replaced by a hot anger, "No! _Piper_. I wasn't fucking _high_! But thanks for the vote of confidence, I really appreciate it."

Opening her mouth to speak, Piper immediately snaps it closed again, raising a hand to lay against her temples for a moment as she gathers herself.

"What the fuck am I supposed to think, Alex?" She finally murmurs softly, "Seriously. What am I supposed to think? You call me... _fourteen times_, leaving these..." she trails off, shaking her head, unable to find the words as the quiet anxiety gives way to another wave of anger, "And then you get angry at me when I have the _audacity_ to ask if you were _high_?"

Alex falters a moment, guilt swirling confusingly with anger as she tries to decide how exactly she wants to proceed with the conversation.

Piper decides for her, "Fuck you, Alex."

And a white hot fear overtakes her as Piper turns to walk out of the room, "Where are you going!?"

"I'm going for lunch with Lorna." Piper calls from the living area before the door swings shut and the hotel room is thrown into silence.

.

She tells herself she's going to stop after that.

But Piper's indignant anger burns hotly in the back of her mind and _fuck her_ for thinking she's somehow better than all this, fuck her for judging the band and Alex and the choices they've made and company they keep, and fuck her for just assuming that Alex is incapable of making her own decisions, like some child so easily swayed by the favor of the _cool kids_.

So instead she takes a little more.

Because she can stop anytime.

Because it feels good and it's fun and it dulls the maddening roar in her head to quiet buzz so she no longer has to focus on how bad things are or how it feels like every passing second is Piper slipping further and further through her fingers. She tries cocaine and she tries ecstasy and she tries things she doesn't quite catch the name of and she can stop anytime, but why the fuck would she when everything just suddenly feels _so damn good again_?

She takes a little more.

Things aren't going great with Piper. She can feel her slipping away, but she's powerless to stop it.

The tour is weighing heavily on her shoulders, Lee keeps pushing them for new material, Nicky's attentions are wavering, and the parties seem to be growing longer and longer every night. Lee finds her zoning out on a couch on one of those nights, her worries weighing particularly heavy. They chat for a minute, filling an awkward silence with awkward conversation. Eventually he pulls out a baggie, offers it to her casually, tells her it'll take the edge off (_Heroin_, he says, _the only girlfriend you'll ever need_) She's hesitant, but he offers it with a smile and a fatherly pat on the knee.

She slips it into her pocket. _Just in case_, she thinks.

Just in case.

Heroin eventually becomes her favorite.

.

She's high the night Piper leaves her.

There's a producer in the crowd and Nicky's been on her ass all day about playing the show of their _lives_ and she'd just needed something to calm the ever present _shake_ that seems to quake through her hands more often than not these days. She only takes a little. Just enough to feel like the world isn't moving quite so fast anymore. They've been arguing on and off for several days now, she and Piper, the latest screaming match having taken place just several hours prior. She _had_ been clean for seven days. Seven days before the stress of the show and Piper's growing disenchantment and the ever-present _buzz_ humming through her bones became too much, and she'd promised herself she'd just take enough to calm her jittery nerves.

They're sitting in the changing room when it happens. She'd been fumbling around with the instruments, ignoring Piper's chittering as she mentally attempts to focus on the night ahead.

Piper's pacing the floor before her, asking her some question or another about her after-show plans when she finally says, "I feel like a pathetic groupie," and upon Alex's continued silence, "is this our life now?"

Alex casts her a sidelong glance, rolling her eyes with barely restrained annoyance, "what do you want me to say, Piper? This is the shot we've been waiting for, am I just supposed to tell them _no_ when they ask us for drinks and some time after the show?"

"I'm just asking for a little bit of space in your _life_, Alex," she murmurs tiredly.

"Yeah well maybe now's not exactly the best time, Piper. I got a lotta shit on my mind right now and I could really do without you adding to it."

She falls silent and for a moment Alex thinks she's won. She returns her attention to the instruments, before Piper's voice speaks up from behind her, "I can't do this anymore, Alex..." and Alex pauses, "I'm done." and her blood runs cold.

"What?"

She turns to face the blonde slowly, and Piper shakes her head, eyes gazing helplessly around the room, "I'm done. I can't... I can't _do this_ anymore. I can't be your girlfriend when it's _convenient_. I can't... sit in anymore hotel rooms _waiting_ for you to stumble back in, _wondering_ if you're going to remember either of our names when you finally do. I can't..."

Her voice trails off as she sucks in a heavy lung-full of air and Alex stands, facing her fully. A white hot anger begins to flood her veins as she approaches the younger girl with an incredulous laugh, "So... what? You're leaving? Now? Where're you gonna go!"

"I don't know where I'm gonna go..." Piper answers, her own temper rising now, "back to New York, where I'm not your little trophy wife?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Alex laughs, and it's borderline hysterical and she can't seem to reign herself in. Suddenly she's watching herself from a different perspective. Someone else looking on as everything she'd worked so hard to avoid crashes and burns, "I can't believe I didn't see this coming, how did I not see this coming," she laughs again, before bringing her semi-frantic motions to a halt and piercing Piper with a head-on stare, the kill shot, "y'know what, I _did_ see this coming, months ago, rule number one, don't ever fall in love with a _groupie_."

Piper's anger falters at that, and Alex can see the sting of pain strike across her face before she wrestles her emotions back under control. She nods a few times, choking back a wave of tears and refusing to meet Alex's eye before turning and heading for the door.

"Goodbye, Alex."

She watches her go in a haze, part of her screaming to _go after her_, but that part of her is the part that's watching helplessly from outside her own body. Instead she turns back towards the center of the room, pulls whatever baggies she can from her various stashes throughout her pockets and instrument cases, and proceeds to pump herself full of poison until she can't feel anything anymore.

Nicky stumbles in several moments later, "'ey was that Chapman I passed in the hall? Where's she goin?"

"The fuck does it matter," Alex grumbles, wiping her nose and pushing herself to her feet, "we've got a fucking show to play."

And for once in her life Nicky seems semi-sober, enough to step back, hands raised, as Alex attempts to push past her, "woah there, Vause, you alright?"

"I'm fine, Nicky. Let's just play the fucking show."

.

The producer never calls.

.

Time stop making a lot of sense after that.

There's shows and there's parties and there's drugs and there's sex and there's traveling and it all sort of tumbles together in an endless looping chain.

And Alex loses track of everything but the drugs.

.

They're at some fancy hotel in Vegas when she gets the call.

She's high out of her mind and her aunt has to repeat herself three times before Nicky finally takes the phone.

Reality comes crashing down quickly after that.

She's numb. The phone slips from her grip, hitting the plush carpet of the floor with a slight bounce, and she stumbles across the room.

"The fuck's wrong with you?" Lee barks as she knocks into the table.

"My mom..." she murmurs, the room beginning to spin around her.

Nicky holds her as she wails.

.

She takes a little more.

.

A month after that everything changes again.

A month after that Nicky OD's.

Alex doesn't visit her.

Piper does.

"I'm still your emergency contact," she explains tiredly at Nicky's quiet shock.

She looks no better than Nicky feels and the older girl begins to realize just how many lives they've ruined with this violent endeavor.

"I thought Alex might be here," Piper murmurs. _I'm glad she's not_ hangs unspoken between them.

"I haven't seen Vause for days," Nicky quietly admits. Piper draws a heavy breath.

"I can't do this again, Nicky. I can't be the one they call when it's time to identify a body." Her voice is soft and broken and Nicky's filled with a heartache she can't quite place. But she knows it's for Piper and it's for Alex and it's for Diane and herself and all the other people they've let down and chewed up and _ruined_ along the way.

"It's not gonna happen again," Nicky whispers, "It's not gonna happen again." She can feel her eyes filling with tears and she blinks them back desperately, "I'm done. It's not fun anymore. I'm not... myself... anymore. I'm gonna do the rehab. I'm gonna get clean. I'll find a new emergency contact. I'll change myself to Alex's. I'm sorry, Piper," She's a breath away from sobbing, "_I'm sorry_."

Piper's eyes are shining with a similar wetness as their gazes meet, "I know, Nicky. Me too."

They sit in silence for awhile before Nicky finally convinces her to leave.

But they promise to stay in touch.

And Nicky thinks it's the first small step in the right direction to fixing this mess.

.

Alex is livid when she finally returns.

She tells her she's barely managed to convince the tour from leaving without them and that they're lucky this didn't fuck up their entire career, _everything they've worked for_.

Nicky never mentions how much it stings.

.

Things are rough after that.

Nicky steadily gets better, pulling herself to her feet with the help of Lorna and her quiet conversations with Piper. She buckles down, stops going to the parties, distancing herself from everything but the music. Lorna pleads for her to step away completely but Nicky tells her she won't leave Alex (and Piper never asks but she knows it hangs unspoken between them with every hushed conversation that they have).

They're somewhere in California when something finally gives.

They've just finished their set, are climbing from the stage as Death Maiden prepares to take their places when a man sidles up to them. Nicky's first instinct is ask how he'd gotten back there, and they're both momentarily floored when he tells them he's here to offer them a deal. And just like that, everything they've been working for is suddenly within reach.

He hands them a card, tells them his people are interested in hearing them, that they've got a show lined up, three weeks from now if they're interested. He tells them if they like what they hear this could be the big time. They're practically floating by the time he finally departs.

They're screaming then, wrapping each other in a giddy bouncing hug and sobbing tears of hysterical joy and wild unbridled excitement. And it's the closest they've felt to one another since the entire thing began.

They ride that high until the show has ended, the band slowly meandering their way off stage as they tuck away their instruments, and Lee finally asks them what the hell's got them so fucking giddy. And Alex beams when she tells him they've finally been given a shot at a record deal. But the announcement isn't met with the support she'd been expecting. He explodes, angrily accusing them of riding on his coattails and using their generosity and demands they turn it down because they've already made a commitment to the tour.

Alex is stunned at first, before the pieces starting lining up in her head, and they're both screaming furiously at one another by the time Nicky and the band manage to drag them apart.

Alex is shaking as Nicky drags her from the venue, spilling them onto the street. They end up in a park across town, Alex pacing and screaming and kicking as she expels her anger on everything around them. Nicky waits patiently until finally the fight begins to seep from her bones and she slowly sinks into the vacant swing across from the one Nicky occupies.

"He never fucking cared," Alex murmurs quietly after awhile, "He was just fucking using us to pull in the crowds. To make the fucking money. You'd said it a million times and I just... I refused to fucking listen. I'm such a _fucking idiot_."

Her voice is thick and tight and wet with emotion and Nicky rocks her heels against the earth beneath her feet, swing swaying slightly, her hand coming to rub lightly at Alex's back as she lets her quietly cry out the emotional discharge of _another fucking person_ who was supposed to love her.

They pack their bags quietly when they return to their room several hours later, and hail a taxi to another hotel across the city in the early break of dawn.

"You know," she mumbles later in the dark of their shared bedroom, "I don't think he ever even said my _name_."

Nicky doesn't know how to respond.

Alex doesn't really expect her to.

.

And she only gets worse.

.

It's not until the night of their show that Nicky finally decides to tell her.

She's made her decision. A choice she had to make for herself and her own health. She'll play the show, meet the producers, sign a contract if it comes to that, but after that she needs to take some time off. Time for herself to recuperate and slow down and stay _grounded_ for awhile. The jet set life is killing her and the passion she'd once had for it all is fading. And she wants to get out before it claims anymore of her life.

Alex takes it about as well as she'd imagined.

She broaches the subject carefully, concluding softly with "Lorna's headed back to NY after the show, and I think I'm gonna go with her," her eyes are shining when they meet Alex's own and some small part of Alex's mind registers that it's the most vulnerable she's ever seen the girl. "I gotta take it slow for awhile, Alex. This tour... this life... it's gonna kill me."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Nicky. Now!? We just got offered a chance at our own deal!"

She swallows heavily, gazing around the room, "I can't..."

Alex stares at her for a moment and for a moment Nicky thinks it's worse than screaming.

"You know what, Nicky? Fuck you. FUCK you!"

"Vause..." she tries feebly.

"No! Y'know what? Go. Fucking go. Just like everyone else has. My dad. Piper. My mom," her voice hitches on the last word and Nicky can feel something inside herself shatter.

"Vause. I don't wanna leave you. I want you to come with us."

"Fuck you." Alex growls, "I don't fucking need you or your fucking sympathy. I've made it just fine without you these last few months anyway." She picks up a bottle from the counter, turns to head towards her room.

"Vause..." Nicky calls, and she pauses, her back turned towards her, "I'll play the solo. But after that I'm done."

She continues into the bedroom without another word.

.

Alex is wasted when she shows up later, and Nicky pleads with her to let them postpone the show but she refuses to let the opportunity slip through their fingers again.

She makes it through a song and a half before collapsing on the stage.

The last thing she remembers is Nicky's face floating above hers,blurred and worried, and Piper's voice at the back of her head telling her she should have seen this coming.

She thinks that second one might just be a memory.

.

She's out of commission for a little over a month.

A great chunk of her time being spent in the hospital, she slowly begins to realize just how close she'd come to oblivion.

She's angry at first (Nicky never fooled herself into thinking she wouldn't be, she remembers her _own_ comedown vividly), cursing everyone and everything under the sun. And Nicky sits silently by her side through it all. She spends a lot of time lingering on her dad, for those first couple weeks. Angrily scorning him in a way that leaves her emotionally crippled, much like a child who's just finished throwing a tantrum and has realized it was all in vain. Nicky listens through it all. Her attentions eventually segue onto her mother and in a surprisingly vindictive bout of anger one night she blames her for leaving her behind like everyone else has. Nicky doesn't let her quiet shock show but she knows Alex reels from her _own_ as she abruptly slams her mouth shut and curls in on herself, digging her hands into her hair and falling apart silently. Nicky rubs her back gently until it passes.

It's on a particularly bad night that she begins muttering about Piper, angry unconscious mumbles and accusations that abruptly give way to a broken sort of self-loathing, and suddenly Alex Vause is done being angry at anything other than _herself_. Nicky nearly lets it slip right then, confessing that she's been in contact with the blonde for the past several months. But she bites her tongue, knows it won't help anything in the place they're currently at.

But she sends Piper updates every night after Alex has fallen asleep, lets her know she's finally doing better (and they don't talk about the aching relief that coats the blonde's tone or the shaky concern that lingers on the edge of every question). Because Piper's not quite ready for the next step either. So Nicky keeps the connection to herself for the while.

She gently forces Alex into attending one of the hospital's rehab programs, and together they begin looking into various NA and AA meetings. Lorna's there for them every step of the way, having finally managed to free herself from the Death Maiden tour. And it's a long, sometimes grueling, process, but slowly Alex begins to heal.

It's during one of her final nights in the hospital though, that she whispers softly (so softly Nicky's _still_ not entirely sure she'd even heard her), "And you wanna know the most fucked up thing... is that some nights I think I miss _Piper_ more than I miss my mom. Maybe I _didn't_ deserve any of them."

They move back to New York, and the production company eventually agrees to give them another shot in the new city after several pleading and apologetic phone calls. They're told to fly straight for awhile, get themselves in order, make sure it won't happen again before they do. They tell them that when they're ready they'll contact them.

And Alex starts writing again.

Nicky can't remember the last time she'd seen her with that ratty old notebook, quietly scrawling page after page of overlapping, overflowing lyrics. But it's a sight that almost brings tears to her eyes when she does. They manage to coerce the nurses into allowing a guitar or two into the room, as long as they promise to keep it quiet and respectful. And slowly they begin to build a new repertoire of songs.

They're halfway through a new lyricless tune one night when Alex murmurs, "_when I was seventeen, I had wrists like steel, and I felt complete_."

And Nicky quietly begins to wonder if she's not the only one who's suddenly unsure of what she wants from this life anymore.

.

They're several months past Alex's implosion when the company finally calls again.

And after a largely silent meeting, they agree to give it one last go.

They need one more song to complete their all new set list (an unspoken agreement between them for a completely fresh start). And in another modest motel room is where Alex finally presents one. Wandering in from one of her nightly walks through the town, she doesn't say a word as she pulls out her guitar, settles onto the edge of the bed and begins to play. Nicky listens silently as she slowly spins out the last song they've been waiting on into the hush of the stuffy motel room.

She finishes softly, eyes downcast as the last notes fade away around them and Nicky exhales with a soft, "shit, Vause."

"Piper wrote it," she murmurs, "one of her poems, I found it in the van."

They spend the rest of the night working out the kinks, and when Alex eventually falls into a restless sleep Nicky sends out a video message of the final product.

She attaches no words. No explanation needed. She knows Piper won't need one. The music will speak for itself.

.

Alex is restless the night of.

Nicky keeps a close eye on her, though deep down she knows she trusts that Alex is done. She tells herself it's just to make sure she can handle this; the pressure, the crowd, the reemergence. She tells herself it's out of concern for Alex's mental health more than anything. They're sitting backstage, taking care of any last minute preparations when she finally breaks their easy silence.

"I never wanna go back to..._ that_..." she starts quietly, "there are so many things about it I'm so glad I don't miss." She pauses, fingers stilling around the tuning pegs of her guitar, "but fuck if I don't ache for just _one more hit_ right now. Like it'll somehow make everything a little better. Even though I _know_ it won't, y'know?"

She falls silent, not really expecting an answer, and Nicky's gaze lingers around her face for a moment before dropping to her own instruments in quiet contemplation. "I know," she eventually murmurs.

They hold each other's gazes for a moment, drawing a quiet strength from another before nodding.

A few more seconds of contemplative silence slip by before Nicky speaks again, "I think she'd be proud of you, y'know?" she sniffs, "your mom."

And Alex's gaze swims around her face for a moment before dropping back to her instrument with a small, broken sort of laugh, "I'm not so sure about _that_ anymore."

"I am." Nicky answers, and Alex's gaze jumps back to her own, "you've really done well for yourself here, Vause, I'm proud a'you." She barks out a quick tired laugh, "hell, for a minute there I was sure I'd lost you, and I thought 'this is it, I've let myself down, I've let Diane down, I've let fuckin' Piper down... I couldn't save her, I failed'," her gaze trails around the room as she recollects herself, quietly brushing off Alex's soft insistence that it was never her responsibility, "but you pulled through, and you fuckin' proved that you're stronger than all this."

She pauses, slinging her guitar over her shoulder as she bends to pick up her mixer, "I'm not the only one who's proud a'you tonight though," she murmurs poignantly, eyes lingering on the phone she'd left sitting unlocked on the table. "I gotta go set up, don't be too long," she departs with a smile.

Alex's brows furrow in confusion before landing on the phone laying across from her. Slowly she eases out of her seat, reaching for the small device. It's open to a text message screen and she sucks in a quiet breath as she reads through the chain of messages peppered with her name.

She's angry for a moment, a slight betrayal at being left in the dark about Nicky's continued contact with her ex-girlfriend. But it fades quickly as she reads through text after text of emotional exchanges. She combs through the messages until she reaches the end and silently sets the phone back on the table. Allowing herself a moment, she runs her hands through her hair before taking a deep lung-full of air and rising from the worn old couch.

They've got a show to play.

.

She makes it through three songs.

They're getting ready to play their fourth, a quick change up in the instruments as she moves to engage the crowd. Her mind has been on other things all night and as she steps up to the mic she falters, a quiet revelation slowly washing over her. And she's suddenly aware of just how _little_ this all means to her.

"I..." she starts, staring out into the sea of faces, suddenly feeling more alone than she's ever been, as the small spark inside her finally clicks, "I'm sorry." The roar of the crowd has stifled to a dull buzz (Alex can't tell if it's a hush that's swept through or if she's just _truly_ stopped caring), Nicky's watching her from across the stage in mild concern, and something in her eyes gives Alex the courage she suddenly so desperately needs, "I'm sorry. I can't... I can't do this. ... There's somewhere I need to be."

She steps away from the mic, is halfway across the stage when the dull buzz begins working back into a roar. But she doesn't hear it. She's pulling her guitar over her head, handing it to a body standing in the shadows. Her legs are carrying her through the maze of the backstage setup and her hands are pulling the wires and earphones and contraptions they've stuck to her from her body.

She doesn't stop walking until she reaches the car park, climbing into the van they'd left sitting alone and empty in the large parking lot. It rumbles to life under her touch with an achingly familiar shudder as if it knows where they're going and has been waiting for this moment since they all climbed out of it for the last time all those million days ago.

She doesn't know how she remembers the address, she chalks it up to some sort of miracle (a lifetime ago would have called it a _sign_). But she drives there with a calming sense of ease and a desperate sort of anxiety. She wastes no time sliding from the van, heading up the walk, jogging up the stairs, takes a final steadying breath before raising her hand to the door.

She rings the bell and waits for what feels like an eternity before she hears a muffled voice and footsteps moving down the hall.

And then the door is swinging open.

And she's face to face with Piper's blue eyes as the grin she'd been tossing over her shoulder gives way to shock.

"Hey," she whispers.

"Alex..."

She sniffs, suddenly nervous, "Yeah, I... _hey_."

"What are you doing here?" Piper asks quietly, "you have a show tonight."

"Yeah, I... uh... I left. It."

"What?"

"I left." She answers, nervousness wrestling with excitement in her stomach as Piper eyes her dazedly from the door, "I had something more important to do." She draws a deep steadying breath, and launches herself headfirst into this new oblivion, "I fucked up, Pipes. I... _really_ fucking fucked up. And I ruined... _so_ many things, and I know I'm probably the last person you wanna see and I know I can't take it back, but Nicky, Nicky told me she still keeps in touch with you and I needed to... I had... I needed to tell you... _I'm sorry_. For all of it."

Piper says nothing. And the nervousness wins out. She can feel the swell of despair and the impending gathering of tears and she nods once, having said her peace, and turns. She makes down the last small stair, her boot hitting the concrete of the sidewalk just as Piper calls out behind her, "Alex, wait!"

She gathers a shaky breath, wills the tears back down (just for another moment, just until she can slip back into the van), and turns.

"Don't go." Piper whispers, and Alex can hear her battling her_ own_ tremble and tears.

She throws a quick look over her shoulder, pulls the door closed quietly, and tentatively makes her way to the end of the porch, towards _Alex_. They falter then, gazing at each other in weighted silence before Alex finally ventures, "it's good to see your face."

"Yours too," Piper murmurs, before a heavy burst of air escapes her lungs, "god, Alex you have _no idea_. When Nicky told me... for awhile minute there I thought... I thought maybe I'd never..." her voice trails off, unable to speak the words aloud and Alex takes a tentative step towards her.

"I know."

"I never should have..." she begins again, faltering, "I'm sorry too. I never should have left you... _like that_. But I was scared and nothing was... I couldn't... I couldn't just watch you _destroy_ yourself. So I ran. Because I thought... it'd be _easier_..." And their eyes rove achingly over one another's faces before she finally whispers, "I've missed you _so much_."

And a breathless disbelieving laugh slips through Alex's lips as a grin she can't quite contain blooms across her face, "I've missed you too kid, _too much_."

And suddenly they're both laughing, and Piper's arms are around her, and Piper's face in buried in her neck, and Piper's tears are sliding over her shoulders, and she knows her own are sliding into Piper's hair, but suddenly nothing else really matters anymore, because suddenly Alex Vause feels like she's _home_.

.

Eventually Piper leads her from the sidewalk, up the stairs, and into the house. They slip in quietly, avoiding Polly's judgmental stare and barrage of questions entirely. Piper pulls her silently into her room where they eventually settle onto the bed, eyes studying one another quietly. They sit in silence for awhile, speaking only through heavy gazes and soft breaths, light touches and quiet breathless laughs.

Piper's fingers linger at Alex's chin, as if unable to believe she's actually _alive_ and_ well_ and_ here_.

"_I love you,_" Alex suddenly murmurs, eyes tracing nervously over Piper's face, "I've never _stopped_ loving you. I don't think I know how to _not_ love you anymore."

She knows it's a heavy statement, knows it's an abrupt thing to say _here_ and _now_, and knows it could potentially blow the small bubble they've quietly built since she showed up on Polly's porch, but she knows it's something that has to be said. Knows it's something _Piper_ needs to know. And she waits in lingering anxiety for Piper's response, whatever it may be.

"I love you too," she finally murmurs, a soft welling of tears swimming in her eyes, "I've never stopped loving you either. And I don't think _I_ know how to not love _you_ too."

Neither of them are sure who presses their lips together first (Alex likes to think they met in the middle, the first time they _truly_ began to meet one another halfway), as their mouths dance gently against one another in a familiar dance they'd never forgotten. They kiss for a long time, eventually pulling apart to rest their foreheads against one another in another silent contemplation.

After awhile Piper softly sings, "_yeah my girlfriend's pretty cool, but she's not as cool as me_."

And Alex smiles, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear before quietly murmuring, "Nicky sent you the song... did you like it?"

"I was wondering where that page went," Piper laughs quietly, eyes shining, "it was beautiful."

Another gentle smile washes over Alex's features as she pulls Piper's face towards her once more, "yes, it was," she murmurs against her waiting lips before capturing them with her own.

They fall asleep slowly that night.

And Alex sleeps peacefully for the first time in a long time.

.

Nicky comes knocking at Polly's door somewhere around 7am the next morning.

She's wearing a familiar pair of aviators and face splitting grin as she announces, "well... we lost the deal!"

And they all lament the fleeting grasp at fame for a moment (though none of them seem to really mean it).

.

They drop Lorna back at home for awhile ("I haven't seen my family in months! I gotta make some time for them right now, but you three go, go! Swing around to some of your old haunts and relive some old memories!"), giving her a month or so to revisit with family before promising to swing back around for her as they make their way back through the states.

They swing through their old favorite places, welcomed back with warm receptions and excited buzz. And soon they're filling their favorite bars with eager faces once again, camping out in their favorite dingy motels once more, and lingering in the late night atmosphere of their favorite little diners all over again. It's easy, almost frighteningly so, falling back into the familiar pattern. But they're all too overwhelmingly content with it all to say anything.

Being back in the van, the three of them, all together, crammed across the front seat, world blurring past them outside the window at a steady pace, feels more like home than any of them can remember feeling in a long time. Nicky's behind the wheel, arm slung lazily out the window to grasp at the passing summer air, Piper in the middle, watching the slowly setting sun teasing in it's departure, as if daring them to chase after it. Alex leans against the passenger door, a single leg propped up against the seat, resting just lightly against Piper's thigh. She spends a lot of time touching Piper lately, as if assuring herself she's still there. She's got a guitar in her lap, fiddling mildly with it in the stillness of the gathering dusk.

Alex has been playing softly for several minutes now, Nicky occasionally joining in when she adds a few words here and there. It's only when they get to the chorus do their voices grow louder, strong enough for Piper to catch wind of their song.

"And we'll never be royals, it don't run in our blood, that kinda lux just ain't for us, we crave a different kind of buzz..."

Cutting her gaze sideways, Piper catches sight of that telltale smirk tilting across Alex's lips as she sings and suddenly she can't hold back her own grin. Their eyes meet and Alex cocks a single eyebrow, not breaking stride. And it's all it takes. As the van prattles down the long empty highway in the softly setting glow of the passing sun, and their voices rise quietly into the night.

* * *

><p>So this story has been a <em>very<em> long time coming (theoretically it should have been like... chapter 13). It will probably be the _longest_ I ever write (because holy HELL this got away from me about five thousand words ago). And I hope you're not _too_ disappointed when the next chapter is like 10 thousand words shorter, haha. Anyway, there were so many different places I wanted to go with this, but in the end this is the best I could do. It feels like it got a little sloppy at the end, and I confess the brunt of my attentions lay in the endless summer aspect of the story, but I hope it's been a good ride for you nonetheless. 'Til next time, y'all.

list of songs and bands mentioned and drawn upon for inspiration includes: "Brooklyn Baby" (Lana Del Rey), MGMT in general but most specifically "Time To Pretend" and "Indie Rokkers", "Giving Up The Gun" (Vampire Weekend), "Royals" (Lorde), and The Ting Tings live performances.


	20. Chapter 20

inspired by various runaway and codependency prompts  
>musical inspiration includes Lorde's <em>Buzzcut Season<em> and _Ribs  
><em>**[RATED M; SEX, VIOLENCE, TRIGGERING THEMES] [yeah so this story's kinda dark...]**

* * *

><p>Piper Chapman is seven the first time she meets Alex Vause (Alex Vause had just turned eight the first time she meets Piper Chapman).<p>

By all accounts neither of them should remember the first time they spoke to one another. But they do. They were young, too young to have much memory of anything else. And Piper often finds herself contemplating the strange vividness of it all. In a sense it feels like there had never been a moment without Alex in her life. And yet she can never forget the moment she first laid eyes on Alex Vause.

Alex likes to tell her it's because her life hadn't begun until she met her. Piper always tells her to shut up, shoves her playfully away, laughs as Alex's determinedly serious expression breaks into her own fit of laughter. But deep down she sometimes wonders if Alex is right.

They don't become friends immediately. Alex has never been the most popular attraction among her peers (being the new kid is never easy), and Piper's got the upbringing but her good girl demeanor prevents her from really being the target of anyone's envy (or attentions). So she ignores Alex at first because it's what everyone else does. They were two outcasts, each in their own regard. Neither of them really all to eager to spend time with most of the other kids their own age, though most of the other kids weren't too eager to spend time with _them_ either.

It's a gradual thing. A gentle tug between their souls, slowly pulling them together as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if it were just where they were supposed to _be_. Something that just sort of happens in a way that neither of them really catches before it's suddenly too late. They're in the same class and share a similar bus route (only on the way home though, Piper's not quite sure which bus Alex rides _to_ the school). They end up seated next to one another when the teacher decides to rearrange the classroom of paired desks and the only seat left is the one beside Piper, end up sitting a little too near one another when they bury themselves in their respective books during recess as the other kids play games neither of them have been invited to, end up at the same lunch table when Piper's friend joins an already crowded one, leaving her standing awkward and alone in the center of the noisy cafeteria.

Eventually they're helping one another with homework, they're asking one another about the books they've dragged outside, they're sharing bits and pieces of their lunches because Piper's mother doesn't pack her anything sweet like the stale cookies that come with every standard cafeteria meal and Alex thinks discarded crusts are the best parts of a sandwich. Eventually they're sitting beside one another on the bus, convincing the bus driver to let them off at one another's stops, venturing into one another's homes.

The don't really become friends immediately. But they fall into it with the easy familiarity of something that's always been naturally _bound_ to happen.

And Piper Chapman can't remember a lot of things about her childhood, but she'll never forget the way something about Alex Vause had quietly called to her, and looking back later Piper would wonder if it was just something they had been destined for.

.

They're nine years old (Alex on the cusp of ten) when she quietly tells Piper about why they'd moved.

They've reached a point where they think they might know more about one another than anyone else in the world. They share things with one another no one else knows, and they converse about things they'd never discuss with any other soul in the world.

They're spending the night at Piper's house, blankets pulled over their heads as they whisper quiet secrets into the soft light of the flashlight that lies between them in an otherwise dark bedroom, when Alex shares her story.

Alex doesn't have a father. Or... she _does_... but... he's not exactly _around_. Her mother's struggled to support them on her own since well before Alex had even been born and for the most part she's succeeded. But for a moment, just before they'd moved to this new town, she'd failed. She'd lost her job in their last town, and couldn't manage to find a new one. Not until it was too late. Alex isn't entirely sure what all had happened (she's barely old enough to understand as it is _now_), but she does know that because of her mother's temporary failure to support her, she'd had to be taken away for awhile.

"What d'you mean?" Piper whispers softly, as they slide a little further under the blankets (a little _closer_ to each other).

She'd lived with several different people, she tells her, families, full of other kids who didn't belong there. She doesn't go into a lot of detail, tells her she can't really remember too much (tells her she intentionally blocked the rest of it out). She doesn't know a lot about those days she'd spent _away_, but she does know she'd hated every minute of it. She'd tried to run away several times. Desperately attempting to return to her mother. And they'd shuffled her from family to family each time she failed.

Eventually though her mother had gotten back on her feet and when they came for Alex again she'd been ready to run once more. She'd been skeptical at first, sure that they were somehow tricking her and would just be shuffling her to another terrible family in another terrible house full of other terrible, miserable children. She'd nearly fainted with delirious relief when she _finally_ realized they were taking her to her mother.

Her mother had promised her that day, as they hugged each other and sobbed, that she'd never let it happen again. She'd never let them take her again as long as she was alive. And Alex knew she could believe her.

Piper's quiet when she finishes, eyeing the flashlight between them as she takes it all in.

Alex tells her she knows her mother will never let those bastards take her again. But she also tells her she'd sooner die than go back. And if for some reason her mother couldn't stop them, she'd make sure to find a way to run this time. Run and never look back.

It's the first time Piper hears her mention it. _Running_.

And it settles between them thick and heavy. Like a weight hanging over their heads.

Or a timer slowly ticking down.

.

Alex is happy for the most part.

Being with her mother, when she could be in places much worse, is something she constantly reminds herself to cherish. But there are still bad days. _They_ still come to check up on them. Make sure she's making enough to acceptably support them. Silently threaten to tear them apart again if she's not. And her mother spends a lot of her time working, leaving Alex to spend a lot of her time in the apartment alone, or with whatever cheap babysitter she could convince to sit with her for the night until she finally manages to convince her she's old enough to watch after _herself_.

She's twelve years old the first time she hears her mother arguing with the landlord about late checks. They're shouting and stomping and slamming things and she sits in her room trying to focus on homework when she hears something that sounds an awful lot like the sharp slap of skin against skin. And her mother muffles a quiet yelp. She's up from her desk and flying out of the bedroom before she knows what she's doing and her fists are tangled in the man's shirt as her mother yells, grasping at her small flailing body as she pulls her from the livid man.

"_Alex!_" She's screaming, and "_Al!_" and "_No!_" and "_Go!_" and "_Go back to your room!_" and Alex struggles against her as the man begins to chuckle.

And "_listen to your mom, kid_" he says "_before I give you a matching welt._"

And the look her mother gives her, the pleading look as her cheek blooms a slow deep purple, telling Alex to _let it go_, that it's _fine_, because she _can't lose her_ again, and that if this is what it takes she'll _endure it_. It's all too much. It's all too much and Alex's small body is overwhelmed with a million different emotions and she dashes for the door before her mom can stop her.

She spills into the street, angry at herself for being this burden upon her mother, angry at her mother for _allowing_ her to be, angry at the man who'd raised his hand against her and_ laughed_ at Alex's rage, angry at her father for leaving them in this situation in the first place, and angry at _God_ for allowing it all.

The streets are quiet this time of night. She wanders them blindly, climbing through the quiet rubble of abandoned buildings and the still silence of vacant lots. She stumbles aimlessly, as the anger slowly gives way to a sadness, seeping slow and heavy through her veins.

She doesn't return until several hours later, slips quietly through the door to find her mother hunched over on the couch. Her head jerks sharply at the sound of the door and she's on her feet in an instant, enveloping Alex in her arms and sobbing against the material of her shirt as she holds her. She's apologizing, crying and scared and telling Alex she'd thought she'd lost her and that she was sorry for everything she'd had to see tonight. And Alex tells her _she's_ sorry too.

They cry.

And it becomes routine.

.

Alex has just turned thirteen when Piper's mom tells her she's not to spend any more time with "_that Alex Vause girl_."

It's something neither of them can say they didn't see coming.

She's heard the rumors (about Alex, about Diane) floating around among her circle of friends for years. Her friend Patricia is a secretary at the school and mentions one day, when Carol tells her Piper's spending the evening at Alex Vause's house, that Alex Vause is a girl who spends most of her afternoons in after-school detention. And her friend Margot tells her that rumor has it, there'd been a point in time when Diane Vause couldn't even support herself, let alone her daughter, and that Alex had spent several months being shuffled through the system, passed from foster home to foster home because she'd driven every family who'd taken her in crazy. Her friend Angie, who's married to the local county sheriff, shares that her husband has often seen Alex Vause walking the streets in the early hours of the morning during his patrols, and that she's probably up to god-knows-_what_ kind of awful teenage shenanigans.

Carol purses her lips, bites her tongue, and stiffly tells them she'd been hoping Piper would be a positive influence on the girl's life.

But she doesn't officially put the ban on Alex Vause until the night the police show up on her doorstep with her daughter and warning.

They'd been playing around a vacant lot on the outskirts of a rundown part of town. Weathered buildings looming over them in the low light of the early evening sun, as their shadows stretch long and dark across the scattered patches of rough grass. A place Alex had told her was perfectly safe, a place she'd said she'd visited a lot. They're not doing anything particularly bad, nothing that kids their age don't normally get up to under the heat of a long day and the heavy influence of boredom. But at some point Alex's teasing gets out of hand and the flames of Piper's temper get stoked, and she hurls a rock in Alex's general direction. It's a half-hearted aim, but a rage-fueled throw, and Alex easily ducks out of the way as the rock goes sailing into the windshield of a car parked along the far edge of the lot. It splinters with a sharp crack and the alarm begins blaring loudly into the settling dusk, and next thing they know a window's being thrown open at the apartments across the street.

"Oh fuck," Alex mutters as the irate owner of the car begins screaming at them.

And when she tells Piper to run she does. Because Piper's always trusted Alex.

But looking back later, as they're seated in the back of a police cruiser (Alex; sullen and moody, Piper; trembling and silent), she thinks maybe running hadn't been the best course of action.

Her mother's predictably livid.

And when she later tells Piper she doesn't need a negative influence like Alex Vause in her life, Piper's worst fears come crashing down around her.

She's crushed at first, pleading with her mother to change her mind. She tells her that she's known Alex for nearly five years and that her friends are nothing but gossip hounds who have no idea what kind of person Alex is. She's tells her it wasn't Alex's fault the windshield broke, tells her it was _she_ who throw the rock. But it only serves to make things worse. And soon they're shouting angrily at one another before Carol tiredly tells Piper to excuse herself to her room.

She flops onto the bed, sobbing into her pillow as she tries to imagine a life without Alex.

It's thirteen hours before she takes her seat next to Alex the next day and tells her about her mother's verdict. And Alex rolls her eyes, scoffs, and tells Piper it just means they'll have to get a little more creative when thinking of ways to hang out. She tells her it's not like they have anything to worry about.

She tells her nothing in the entire sorry world could keep Piper Chapman and Alex Vause apart.

And the heavy feeling of fear and sadness that's been hanging over Piper since the police hauled them into the back of their cruiser finally begins to fade away.

.

At age fourteen Alex begins to come over whenever things get bad.

She pulls herself up the garden trellis, hoists herself onto the low porch roof, and ducks in through Piper's always-open window. Crawls into Piper's suffocatingly large bed, into Piper's open arms, and nestles into Piper's warm throat or gentle shoulder blades. Alex never sleeps so peacefully as she does when with Piper.

She used to wander the streets at night when things got bad or whenever she got restless, roaming aimlessly until her legs could carry her no longer, napping fleetingly in empty cars or abandoned buildings or covered hideaways. She's still not sure what exactly had brought her to Piper's house that first night all those years ago. One moment she'd been drifting through the seemingly abandoned town, the next she was in Piper's backyard, staring desperately at her darkened window.

She doesn't know how long she'd stood out there for (she knows she _would have_ stood all night) before a light turns on in Piper's window, a shadow moves across the walls. The window slides open soundlessly and then Piper is peering cautiously into the night.

"Alex?" She calls softly, upon noticing the girl. "What are you doing?"

She tries in vain to find her voice, she really does. But Piper doesn't give her the chance to before she's withdrawing from the window, and Alex vaguely notes that she's alone again. (Was there ever a moment in this world when Alex Vause _wasn't_ alone?) She's still staring at Piper's window when the locks of the backdoor click softly. And then Piper's stepping quietly onto the porch, approaching her as if she's some untamed animal that might flee into the night if approached too quickly or too suddenly or too loudly. And it's not like it's that far off from the truth.

"What are you doing here?" She asks again, softly.

"I..." She falters, eyeing the gentle girl before her desperately, "I don't know. ... I didn't know where else to go."

Piper's soft confusion gives way to a look Alex will later come to recognize as heartbreak. All they can do is stare and so they _do_. They stand still in the quiet night of Piper's backyard watching each other for what may have been years before Piper's arm raises, just slightly. Her fingers reach out, as if searching for Alex's own despite the fact that she was still half the yard away. But Alex's body is already so in tune with Piper's and her legs hear the soft plea of Piper's outstretched fingers and obediently carry her across the yard. Her own fingers tangle gently with Piper's as Piper leads her quietly into the house and up the stairs and into her bedroom.

They stand before each other and before her bed (and before God and the devil and whoever else may be watching). Then Piper sighs, and they're crawling beneath the covers, into each other's arms. And Piper holds her. And Alex clings to her.

It's the first time Piper sees Alex Vause cry.

Later, much later, when she quietly replays that night in her mind, Alex wonders if maybe she'd ended up in Piper's backyard because Piper is the only place she's ever truly felt like _home_ (or maybe it's just that same tug of whatever it was that pulled Piper from her bed that night and to the window in the first place).

.

They're somewhere between fourteen and fifteen when Alex teaches Piper how to sneak out.

It's just as easy for Piper to slip out of the house as it is for Alex to slip _in_, but Piper still frets nervously at the window a bit before Alex gently coaxes her into the waiting night. They stick to the places she knows they'll go unnoticed; vacant lots hidden from view of the main streets by sagging trees and old buildings, abandoned yards of rubble forgotten with time and ignored by the world around them. She takes her to her favorite place one night ("well... favorite place before I started coming to your house," she amends quietly), and they settle themselves into the musty front seat of a broken and stripped convertible (Alex helping Piper steady her footing as she climbs up the crumbling cinder blocks supporting it's frame and hoists herself over rusty doors that no longer open).

It's their favorite place to go on warm nights when they're feeling restless, or suffocated within the walls of Piper's large house. They settle quietly against one another and the seat and study the vastness of space and the sky above them. Sometimes they murmur quietly to one another, other times they let the silence speak for them. Tonight though, Alex's mind is abuzz and she fidgets against the seat, eyes studying the heavens above her, as a myriad of thoughts tumble over one another and fall from her lips.

"Sometimes I think I should just run away..." she concludes softly, drawing a thoughtful breath, "if it weren't for my mom, I _would_."

Piper's gaze flicks to her face, but Alex is faraway. She snuggles closer, suddenly afraid. The thought of losing Alex, in any way, has always haunted her. Hanging over her head like a looming storm. Hovering just out of her reach like an uninvited ghost. She tries never to dwell on it. But sometimes the thought sneaks up at night. Sometimes the look on Alex's face, the tone of her voice as she tosses out a blithe comment about disappearing, makes Piper's blood run cold. And she suddenly feels as if Alex is slipping through her fingers. Along with the sands of time.

Normally it's enough; tucking closer to Alex, feeling the beat of her heart, the warmth of her skin; the signs that she's _here_. Normally it's enough. But today's not one of Piper's better days. Today her parents' weighted gazes, heavy with disappointment and expectations, had fallen across her shoulders a little harder. Today Tommy Montgomery had spilled his drink all over her at lunch and Piper had sat alone and humiliated under a thousand gazes and snickers. Today the faraway look in Alex's eyes was just a little _too_ distant.

She snuggles closer.

"What about me?" She asks in a soft voice. So soft. Anyone else might never had heard it. But Alex was never _anyone else_.

Her head tilts down, eyes abandoning their study of the stars to lock with Piper's quietly pleading blue ones. "You'd be with me," she says, as if it's something that's been decided all along. As if it were something she's always _known_. Something she'd expected _Piper_ to know.

"Really?" Piper questions, voice still soft.

"Pipes... I could never go anywhere without you."

And Alex's steadily thumping heartbeat in her ear seems a little more comforting all of the sudden.

.

Piper is halfway through fourteen when she punches Jessica Wedge in the face.

Alex was no stranger to in-school harassment from her peers. Neither was Piper, really, she just wasn't harassed as often or in the same ways. Her harassment stopped being so tormenting when she began to realize that Alex Vause's opinion was the only one she really cared about anymore. Her peer's taunts about her "boring choices" or "good girl" persona faded into the background and gradually began to stop altogether when they realized Piper Chapman no longer seemed to care about what they thought of her.

Alex's didn't stop until the day Piper exploded.

She'd been relentless lately, Jessica. Eventually goading Alex into retaliation that landed her a week's worth of after school detention. Piper had managed to hold out the entire day without confrontation but it was currently last period and Jesscia Wedge had been crooning loudly to her subjects all day long.

She'd had a fight with her mother that morning, arrived to school on the edge of tears, and Alex had pulled her into the bathroom before anyone else could notice Piper Chapman fraying at the seams. Alex was fifteen minutes late to class as she cradled Piper's head against her neck, wiped Piper's tear-tracked cheeks with a cool paper towel, and kissed Piper softly on her forehead as she calmed.

Alex's tardiness coupled with the outburst instigated by Jessica Wedge is what gets her hauled to the office an hour later.

Piper's fists are clenched and shaking as she desperately wills the clock to turn the remaining twenty minutes. Jessica's voice is high and piercing and her attention turns to Piper when she mentions Alex Vause got what she deserved for hitting on her in the locker room the other day. Piper's nails bit against her palms and she vaguely notes a soft warm tickle running down her clenched fists.

"Not _all_ of us are into that," she remarks snidely, eyes drilling into Piper (she can feel them, she can feel them boring into her exposed neck like a drill, whirring, whirring, whirring), "honestly, it's no wonder her dad left her, I wouldn't want her _either_ if she were _my_ kid."

She doesn't really know what happens next. One minute she's hunched over her desk (desperately attempting to drown out Jessica's words, desperately attempting to ignore Jessica's _stare_), the next; _nothing_. Blackness. A void so thick it's both overwhelmingly chaotic and soul-shatteringly calm. Jessica is crying when comes back to herself. Full blown sobs tearing their way from her lungs as she clutches her nose and _wails_. Piper's hands are sore but she can't tear her eyes away from the slow trickle of blood leaking through Jesscia Wedge's once-pristine fingers. There are arms around her, and suddenly she'd being pulled away, out of the room and into the hall. Someone takes her to the bathroom, slowly dabs her aching fists, then her warm cheeks. That's when she realizes Jessica's wails hadn't been the only ones echoing through the classroom. A steady trail of hot tears cling to her flushed cheeks and the teacher from the next room over is wiping them away with a gently dampened cloth.

She asks her if she's okay. Piper sniffs.

Eventually they make their way to the office. The principal tells her had it been any other student they'd have been immediately expelled, but he knows Piper and she's never done anything remotely close to stepping out of line before in all her years as a student. He also tells her it's not the first time he's heard about Jessica Wedge's tirades, and while he can't condone Piper's retaliation, he won't let her verbal bullying go unpunished. Jessica Wedge has been sent home with a week's worth of detention for the things she'd said about Alex Vause. Piper Chapman receives a week suspension.

Her mother is livid when she picks her up, grounding her for what could possibly be the rest of her life. The principal doesn't mention Alex's name when he gives her the rundown of what happened, and for that Piper is thankful. She's not exactly supposed to be hanging out with Alex Vause, let alone starting fist fights over her at school. They ride home in a stony silence and her mother tells her to go to her room the moment they step through the door, tells her she needs to have a talk with her father and they'll speak to her together when they're ready.

She cries herself to sleep, falling into a light and fitful slumber until the air of her room shifts and she blinks awake. She lies still, listening to the wind drift gently through her curtains before she feels the bed dip behind her. She's met with a warm weight as Alex tucks herself behind her, her arms snaking tightly around Piper's waist. She buries her face in Piper's neck and exhales, slowly stroking the arms that had risen to grip her own.

"I heard about what you did to Jessica," she murmurs after a long stretch of silence, "I heard... what she'd said." A shaky wet breath falls from her lungs and she buries herself deeper, pulls Piper impossibly closer, "_Thank you_."

They fall asleep pressed tightly against one another, as if attempting to fuse into a singular being. And Alex waits until she's awake again, as the dawn begins to break across the sky, before pulling herself from the bed and departing for school with a gentle kiss against the crown of Piper's head and a soft promise to see her again tonight.

And Piper can't quite seem to feel so guilty about the suspension when she spends every night of the week tucked tightly in Alex Vause's arms.

.

Alex is at the edge of sixteen when she kisses Piper Chapman for the first time.

She'd just been dumped by a boy who Alex insists never deserved her in the first place. But he was popular, and attractive, and had paid Piper just the right amount of attention and she'd found herself smitten because the only other person who'd ever treated her like that had been Alex (and she was trying really hard not to think about what _that_ meant).

She loses track of how long she cries for, Alex's fingers trailing gently through her hair as she holds her against her chest.

"He'd only been going out with me to make Alyssa Johnson jealous." She eventually mumbles into the tear dampened fabric of Alex's chest.

"What?" Alex asks softly, fingers still gently threading through her hair.

"He never even wanted to date me in the first place," Piper hiccups, "he just used me."

Alex's fingers still against her scalp and Piper gazes up at the sudden tension, "He's an idiot, Piper. He didn't _deserve_ you."

She sniffles softly for a moment, a fresh wave of tears breaking along with her voice as her next words drift out at barely a whisper, "but I gave him _everything_ Alex. I gave him everything and he told all his friends about it and it was all just a sick joke."

And she tenses in Alex's arms, as if awaiting some sort of backlash, and it couples with the new information ringing through Alex's mind. And she suddenly finds herself angry at the entire world and everyone in it who's ever hurt Piper Chapman as her arms tighten around the broken girl.

"_I'll kill him_."

And Piper clutches her harder.

She lets her cry out a while longer, her fingers threading gently through Piper's soft golden hair. Piper's breath is steady against her neck and she thinks the girl has finally cried herself to sleep when her voice whispers up to her, soft in the darkness of the bedroom. "I just wanted to feel loved, y'know."

"_Pipes..._" She whispers, those words settling into her chest in a way that makes her think _this must be what getting stabbed feels like_.

"It's stupid, I know, but-"

But Alex doesn't let her finish, covers her lips with her own, silencing anything else she'd been about to say.

Piper's rigid against her for a moment, shocked at the suddenness of it all, before she relaxes under Alex's caress.

It's a chaste kiss. Gentle. But long. And when they finally pull apart Piper's eyes flutter open to stare dazedly into Alex's.

"You _are_ loved," she murmurs, fingers dancing lightly under Piper's chin, and it's as if something inside her finally clicks into place as she acknowledges the love in Alex's eyes that she's (until _now_) been too scared to acknowledge.

Alex's thumb brushes against her cheek, swiping away at a small trail of tears Piper hadn't even noticed gathering, the softest smile Piper's ever seen stretching across her face as she watches the blonde gazing at her as if she holds the entire world in her hands. And then it's Piper who's pressing her lips against Alex's.

They spend the next while slowly exploring one another's mouths, until they can no longer fight off the gentle pull of sleep, and drift off quietly, foreheads pressed together.

Neither of them can really bring themselves to care all too much about Jake Riley again.

.

The first time Alex fucks her is gentle.

Piper's parents had had a fight that night. A loud angry yelling match punctuated with alcoholic slurring and slamming doors.

She's curled tightly in on herself when Alex climbs through the window and tucks herself behind her on the bed. They listen as harsh truths are hurled around as if their vocalization means nothing, Alex dropping silent kisses against the back of Piper's exposed neck every time she shudders softly. Eventually Piper turns over, burying her face against Alex's chest, as if attempting to block out the world and everything in it. Everything except Alex.

Alex's hands are stroking her softly, have slipped under her shirt to rub at the warm skin of her bare back, and without warning Piper presses herself into her, pushing her lips against Alex's own with a sudden desperation. Alex's hands still for a moment, taken aback by the abrupt attack, before flattening against her back and pulling the blonde into her.

Her parents shouts finally begin to fade out around them as Piper loses herself in the sensation of _Alex_. And just like always, Alex seems to sense what she needs.

She pulls Piper's shirt over her head, pushing it off blindly as their lips continue to dance against one another. Piper disrobes Alex with an anxious fervor that Alex does her best to counter with gentle ease.

Alex's fingers are steady within her as the fingers of her other hand curl gently around the back of her neck, anchoring them together. And Piper buries her face against her shoulder as a million different emotions shoot through her. Her hips rock effortlessly against Alex's hand as she brings her higher and higher to ecstasy. Alex's thumb brushes against her and she shivers, thighs quivering against Alex's stomach, before falling headfirst into an oblivion quite unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

She's trembling gently when she comes to again, Alex's face hovering above her own as she brushes back wayward strands of blonde hair. She tries to speak but can't quite seem to find the words, finally closing her mouth and fixing Alex with a look she _knows_ will convey everything she wishes her to understand. And Alex smiles softly, drops a kiss against her forehead, and holds them against one another as the silence of the house settles around them.

Piper sighs softly, and sinks deeper into the bed, and the darkness, and Alex's arms and warmth and _soul_.

And Alex fucks her gently as her family sleeps on unknowingly throughout the house.

.

Alex's mom falls into a coma a week before Piper's sixteenth birthday.

A sudden and seizing medical problem that neither of them quite understand. Struck out of nowhere.

Alex cries in her arms the entire night. And she's nowhere to be found when Piper wakes up the following morning.

It's the last Piper sees of her for three days. She tries not to worry, tells herself Alex would never do anything stupid (_would never leave without saying goodbye_). And Alex finally confirms this the evening of the third day.

She climbs through Piper's window, tired and defeated, humming with an anxious energy.

Piper keeps asking her to sit, to calm down, to _talk to her_. But Alex is all frantic muttering and jittery, pacing limbs. She's a caged animal and Piper fears for her in a way that scares her for a whole _new_ reason, finally getting the older girl to talk as a sheen of frantic terrified tears began to pool in her eyes.

"I'm leaving," she finally murmurs.

And Piper's entire world shatters.

"What?" Her voice is soft, so soft. Soft and embarrassingly quavery.

She tells her she's been at the hospital, explains that the doctors have told her there's no chance of her mother waking up, that they can only keep her on life support for so long. She tells Piper her mother is all but dead. And soon enough, she'll be _that_ too. And she tells her that they're arranging for her to be sent back into foster care. She'd spent the last several hours packing anything and everything that she couldn't leave behind and was on her way out of town before they could send her back to that _place_. Piper wants to tell her it'll only be a year. One year and then she'll be free. But she can't seem to make her voice work, and she's not sure she could ever bring herself to say those words to Alex anyway.

"They're gonna try to take me away, Pipes. I _have_ to go, I can't..."

"_Alex,_" Piper's fists close around her jacket lapels helplessly, a thick hot panic flooding her veins, clouding her mind. The moment she'd always feared had finally arrived. Clutching the older girl to her in desperation, as if maybe she could keep her here, in this moment, in this room, in this _town_ with her forever, if she just held on _hard_ enough, "you can't go. You can't leave me."

Tears welled in her eyes and Alex feels her heart breaking as she raises her hands to capture Piper's shaking ones, "Pipes... _I have to_."

Piper's voice is soft, broken, as she fights a losing battle against her emotions. They're silent a moment, Piper clutching Alex, Alex's eyes squeezed shut against _both_ of their tears, steeling herself for the hardest thing she ever has and ever will do in her short miserable life. Leaving her best friend. Abandoning the one person left in this world who she loves more than anything. Walking away from the only thing in her ruined life that still _matters_.

"Come with me," she whispers suddenly.

"What?" Piper's voice is soft, almost inaudible.

"Come with me, Piper. Come with me. You said it yourself there's nothing for you here, come with me. We can go, we can get out of this shitty town and start our own life somewhere _good_. _Together_."

Through the soft light of the bedroom and the dewy glisten of unshed tears, Piper's eyes twinkle up at her. Her hands still tangled in Alex's jacket, Alex's hands still enclosed around hers.

"_Pipes,_" she whispers.

And then they're packing.

.

Piper Chapman is on the cusp of sixteen when she chooses to forsake her home and live homeless.

But she's not really forsaking her home, she muses as they huddle together in the small bus station, because _Alex_ has been her _real home_ for awhile now. And she's not really leaving her family, because _Alex_ had become more than her family years ago.

She wonders if her mother and father will miss her. Part of her wonders if they'll even notice she's _gone_. She knows her younger brother Cal will, leaving him is the hardest part and she feels a small pang of guilt for not even thinking of the boy until she's well on her way out of town. They'd pulled what little money they had (Diane's small emergency funds left scattered through the apartment, Piper's broken piggy bank of "life savings"), and bought the first bus tickets available.

They're thrumming with a wild terrified energy, unable to relax, eyes wild, darting constantly across their surroundings, as if expecting the social workers or Piper's parents to arrive at any moment to drag them away (though they both know it'll be several more hours yet until their absence is noticed). And when the bus finally pulls up they quietly take seats near the back, keeping their bags close as they settle in to prepare for their journey. Piper's head drops against Alex's shoulder, Alex's fingers rising to swim gently through blonde hair. She studies the faces of everyone around her as they file onto the vehicle slowly, silently sizing them up as Piper grows still beside her.

And Alex will never forget the quiet hiss of the shutting doors (doors closing on this town, and these streets, and every bad thing that's come to dictate their lives) or the shrill screech of the breaks as they release (and the bus begins to slowly lurch forward, toward their new lives, their new future, the decisions they've made for _themselves_). Her attention turns to the window beside her, and she watches as the station, then their neighborhoods, then the town itself, slowly disappears behind them. She watches as the cluster of small town buildings give way to rural suburbia, give way to vast farmlands, give way to empty stretches of land. And slowly the sky begins to break with dawn.

Piper is asleep against her, her face pressed into Alex's neck so closely that she'd wonder if the girl had suffocated, could she not feel the steady puffs of her breath falling across her throat. Her knees are pulled up, hands buried somewhere between her lap and stomach, and Alex finds herself nodding in an out of sleep herself as the bus chugs tirelessly into the night.

It's brighter out when her eyes snap open again, and she turns her attention to the window once more, attempting to gauge their surroundings.

A sound to her right catches her attention and she turns to see two passengers arguing quietly a few rows down. A mother and daughter, she muses, bickering heatedly about God only knows what. She watches them a moment, craning her neck so as not to disturb Piper. Though she soon feels a shift in the blonde's presence as she pulls away from her neck with a heavy exhale, casting her sleep-stuck eyes in the direction of the commotion. A heavy yawn crawls out of Piper's lungs as she hunches and bunches her shoulders a few times, tiredly working some of the stiffness from her muscles.

"Where're we?" She asks, her voice soft and scratchy with sleep.

"I don't know," Alex whispers back, and she fights off a shiver in her spine at the quiet confession.

She thinks it might be her only answer for awhile now.

And Piper gazes at her with those _eyes_, shining brightly with the flicker of such overwhelming emotion.

And Alex tucks that quiet worry back, because she doesn't have a plan, and she's terrified (of what's already happened, of what's going to happen, of what _might_ happen) but Piper's gazing at her like she's her entire world and Alex knows she'll _die_ before she lets that flame die out.

.

The bus takes them to the city.

Alex muses it's a good enough place to stay for awhile. Anyone who doesn't want to be found can easily bury themselves within the chaos of a city.

They alternate their time between abandoned buildings, secluded alleyways, and crappy motels. The type of places that make a business of never looking too closely at their patrons faces. The type of places that are more than content not to ask any questions when Alex presents them with her fake ID.

They rarely leave one another's side; draping their bodies atop one another anytime they drift off into a fitful sleep, pressing against each other in the shower as they take turns lathering their skin with cheap motel soap and washing away the grime of the streets.

Alex rents a room for Piper's birthday though, and spends a small amount of their money on a single cupcake, which she manages to somehow keep hidden until they're curled into one another on the small bed hours later. And Piper's face lights up in a way that makes Alex's heart soar as she blows out the gently flickering match Alex had stuck in the top of it. And their lips are sweet when they kiss each other quietly that night.

Their money dwindles quickly and eventually Alex resorts to petty thievery to keep them alive. Piper attempts it herself only once.

They're in a convenience store, Alex keeping an eye on the old man behind the counter as Piper slides a few things into their bag (they never take more than necessary, only what the need). Her attention had jumped to the door for a moment though, as the bell above it jingled and she eyed the newcomer, and it was all the events the man had needed to catch sight of Piper slipping a packet of pre-made sandwiches into her bag.

"Hey!" He shouts, pointing a finger in Piper's direction as he stands to his full height, preparing to give chase.

"_Fuck_," Alex mutters. And Piper freezes.

Alex is halfway to the door before she notices Piper has not been moving _with_ her. She's standing, wide eyed, hand still holding onto the packet of sandwiches over the mouth of the bag, as the man advances. He's sputtering something about good for nothing kids and respecting other people's livings and _cops_ and Alex's feet are suddenly slamming against the tile of the floor as she launches herself back towards the frozen blonde.

Finally seeming to come out of her trance as Alex's fingers lock around her wrist and yank her towards the door, she nearly drops the entire bag in her panic. The man gets close enough to swipe at them when Alex suddenly turns, throwing her shoulder against him and sending him sprawling across the floor. He's howling and shouting and their feet pound against the pavement as they break through the door and onto the streets.

They don't stop running for several blocks.

Piper's a quivering mess by the time they finally stop, slipping through a hole in a crumbling wall and ducking down towards the quiet cover of the river. Alex holds her until she calms down, stroking her hair and back as she sobs into her neck and clutches at her shirt.

"I'm sorry," she eventually whispers, voice hoarse, "I'm sorry, Alex, I panicked. I'm sorry."

"Shhh, Pipes... it's okay."

She doesn't ask Piper to steal anything else.

.

They spend nearly a year living off the streets.

It's a miserable existence, and they often find themselves going cold or hungry. But they never complain, because they know the alternative, and they'd both trade all the comforts in the world if it means being able to remain together.

They avoid homeless shelters and hostels and anyplace someone might recognize them if anyone were to come looking (because Alex doesn't fool herself into thinking Piper's family _isn't_ looking). They spend their good nights in abandoned buildings or rundown sheds along the river. They spend their bad nights on cold benches or in sagging boxes in abandoned alleyways. Piper never says anything, but Alex can hear her stomach rumbling when she holds her as she sleeps. She hates herself for what she's asked Piper to do; runaway with her, abandon her life of comfort for a life on the streets. She'd never meant to drag her into this.

She'd always wanted to leave with Piper, escape that awful town and all the misery that drowned them in it. But she'd never expected to have to do so so abruptly. So _soon_. So she'd told herself as she snuck out of the hospital, as she packed her bags, as she prepared to say_ goodbye_, that she was ready to leave Piper behind. Because she loved her too much to ask her to leave the comfort of an actual home for her. But of course Piper had worn her down, because Piper had gazed at her like she's the entire world and that it's all gonna come crashing down if she were to leave her. And she'd gotten a little selfish. She's admittedly never been good at telling Piper no, and so in that moment with Piper looking at her so openly, with such wild emotion, she'd let the selfishness win out. She'd asked her to come.

Part of her hates herself for it. But that selfish part of her she can't seem to squash down rejoices.

Because she's not entirely sure if she'd have been able to survive this long had she been on her own.

And when she murmurs these thoughts to Piper in the darkness of the night to drown out the growls of their aching stomachs, Piper tells her she knows she never would have survived without Alex.

Because all the comforts of the world couldn't make up for the hole she'd surely leave within her soul.

.

Eventually they learn to hone their skills.

They find a handful of bars who conveniently forget to card, and Piper never has much trouble talking men into buying them drinks. It irks Alex at first, until she presses her lips gently against Alex's frowning ones and quietly admits that she finally feels like she's _helping_. She can't quite hold it against her after that.

So Piper flirts with the more harmless patrons, convincing them to buy her drink after drink, which she discreetly slides towards Alex until the man becomes tipsy enough not to notice the dexterous fingers slipping into his pocket and closing around his wallet. Alex has gotten good at that; dipping into a man's wallet and retrieving a handful of goods, before returning once again, completely unnoticed.

She's not without her own set of skills though, as far as charm and wit go, and it doesn't take long after for Alex to begin hustling people. She learns she's quite good at talking people into parting from their money and soon enough they're pulling enough money in for a few more nights in dingy motels. It's not much, but Alex always sleeps better when she knows Piper's in a bed with a roof over her head, and safely shut off from the world behind a temporarily locked door.

It's enough to shelter them from the harsh bite of winter. For which Alex is glad, because she'd been growing increasingly worried that the cold might snatch Piper from her one of these nights as she slept. And she'd woken with a start from several reoccurring nightmares to desperately make sure the blonde was still breathing beside her.

She also sleeps better when the last thing she sees before losing consciousness is Piper's soft beaming smile, and the last thing she hears is Piper's quietly content sigh, and the last thing she feels is Piper's pleasantly warm skin burrowing closely against her own.

Alex Vause never quite remembers to worry about her own safety.

She knows she'll be fine as long as Piper Chapman is.

.

Alex is finally approaching eighteen when they meet Fahri.

They're in another shady bar. It's a warm evening, a willing crowd, and Alex is having a good night.

He approaches her just as she finishes conning a particularly masochistic man out of two hundred dollars in a series of escalating rounds of pool. She's made enough for her and Piper to rent a room tonight, with enough left over to treat themselves to an actual meal. He settles his glass on the table as she counts her winnings.

"Sorry pal, we're spent for the night."

"I'm not looking for a game." He admits softly, eyeing her closely, "I've been watching you. I'd like to talk, if you don't mind. How about a friendly match?"

He doesn't miss the way her eyes flick across the room, locking onto those of the young blonde seated at the bar. He doesn't miss how they hold one another's gazes for a moment, a silent conversation, before she nods, "no bets, just playing?"

"Just playing."

"One round only?"

"One round only."

Alex studies him a moment before racking the balls up once more. "So. What've you got to say?" she asks bluntly.

"Right down to business," he chuckles.

"I'm a busy girl," she drawls, moving from the table as she invites him to take first shot. He obliges.

"As I said, I've been watching you," she eyes him silently, patiently, and he has the faint notion he's being sized up, "I think you have a gift. A talent for convincing people to bend to your will," his brow cocks and he grins at her from below it, "I think you're wasting it." She's intrigued. He can see that much on her face (though, he suspects it's only because she allows him to), "I'd like to make you an offer."

He spends the rest of the game laying out the details for her. Until the eight ball sinks into a far pocket and he murmurs, "I'm not asking you to decide tonight. Think on it. If you meet me back here in a week we'll take it to the next step."

Laying his pool stick onto the table, he slips out the doors and into the night without another glance back.

"What was that about?" Piper asks quietly as Alex makes her way over to her; a change in routine. Typically they opt to keep their distance on nights like this, nights in which it suits them to appear anonymous, _unconnected_, as Piper swindles one half of the bar and Alex works the other.

She pulls a few loose ones from the small bundle she's collected, motioning to the bartender for another drink, before leaning over to drop a kiss against the blonde hair at Piper's temple. "How'd you like to get a room tonight?" she murmurs softly.

And Piper picks up that it's something to be discussed in private. She smiles, leaning forward to rub her nose against Alex's, their lips brushing lightly as she whispers, "I'd like that _a lot_."

They don't stay at the bar very much longer.

.

Piper's hesitant at first.

They spend nearly the entire week going back and forth over the offer before Alex finally manages to convince her it's a chance worth taking.

Fahri's sitting alone at the bar when they finally amble in and his face lights up just slightly as he catches sight of them, as Alex tells him they've thought it over, explains that they come as a package deal, makes it clear that their priority is first and foremost _each other_. And tells him that Piper stays. He accepts it with a slow nod.

And just like that they're working for an international drug cartel.

.

Fahri treats them well.

Makes sure they're housed and fed until they're able to begin supporting themselves.

It's easy work, Alex notes, not all too different from what she'd been doing for the last year. Except now she'd getting paid something _significant_. Now she's able to keep a roof over Piper's head. Now she's able to make sure they never go to bed with growling stomachs ever again.

She's finally able to give Piper the life she _deserves_.

And she doesn't waste a single second not doing so when the money finally begins trickling in.

She buys them new clothes, throwing the old ones into the marble tub of the expensive room Fahri's put them up in and setting fire to the pile with a box of matches and a giddy laugh. Piper tells her she's being ridiculously stupid and that she didn't survive a year on the streets to die in a reckless hotel fire, but the rest of her protests die on her lips the moment Alex pulls them against her own.

They blaze through overly stocked bar of the room, Piper only protesting slightly before Alex tells her they've got more than enough money to do so (convinces her they've more than _earned it_). They're drunk on expensive liquor and giddy happiness when they call for room service and demand they bring them every last item on the menu. And they sprawl across the bed as they feed each other the best food they've ever tasted until their stomachs can hold no more.

They spend the their nights tangled deliriously around each other and the satin sheets of the largest bed Alex has ever seen in her life and she can't remember the last time she's heard Piper laugh so freely or seen her smile so brightly. She can't remember the last time they existed with such security and safety and overwhelming _happiness_. And as she slowly falls to sleep, for the first time without an underlying fear of danger since she can't remember _when_, she quietly vows she'll do whatever it takes to hold onto this.

For Piper.

For her _happiness_.

.

Alex Vause is nineteen years old when she nearly beats someone to death.

Piper has always been the one with the temper, the one to fly off the handle at the right provocation, the one to lose herself in the depths of a wild feral rage that rolled in waves just under her skin. Alex would pull her away, talk her down, touch her until she calmed. Alex's quiet rage is fought through scathing words and piercing wit, carefully planned moves, _mental warfare_, not bruising knuckles and spilled blood.

Until the night she snaps.

They'd been working with Fahri nearly a year, and Alex has been told she's been making quite the impression. They've got her running meetings by herself more often than not, but tonight happens to be one of the nights Fahri's with her. A more important meeting, so to speak.

A chance to gauge just how well Alex is really doing before bumping her up to the next level of involvement.

The night starts off smoothly enough. But it doesn't take long for everything to fall apart.

And Alex still isn't exactly sure how it all happened.

One moment she's in the middle of closing a deal with Fahri and a client, the next she's being pulled from the bloody face of the man's partner.

He'd been watching Piper all night. Following her with his eyes. Finding excuses to touch her or brush against her whenever he could. Alex's grip had slowly been tightening around her bottle and Fahri had observed this with muted interest from the corner of his eye. Their client, the man's partner, had ignored him in the way a neglectful parent does an embarrassing, unruly child. He'd known of the two's involvement (Piper had been wrapped tightly around Alex's back when the men first came in, eventually pulling away when they stepped aside to do business), but he only seemed to glean amusement from Alex's steadily darkening glare.

She'd let it slide most of the night, Fahri's presence keeping her grounded. That was before his hand landed on Piper's arm, pulling her into him. That was before Piper snapped quietly in protest. That was before his hand collided against her face with a loud smack. Alex was on top of him instantly. She vaguely acknowledged a screaming (the back of her mind registering it as her _own_), everything else was a blur.

She saw red. Anger. Blood. Someone made to grab her and she threw them off with such ferocity that they skidded across the floor. Something was cracking under her fists (her knuckles? his bones?). Her hands felt sticky. She didn't relent until a familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, a tear stained face pressing against her nape. _Piper_.

The world only begins to come back into focus when she eases them slowly to their feet. Piper's arms pulling back to clutch at her biceps as she steps back, allowing Alex room to stand. She's breathing heavily, and Fahri stands off to the side, observing silently. He murmurs something to a burly man beside him, eyes still fixed on Alex's mess as the man nods and slips from the room.

Her knuckles drip with blood that isn't hers (though she later learns some of it _is_ when Piper tends to the tender tears running in crisscrosses across her raw skin), Piper's crying behind her and it makes her want to finish the job, take what's left of the life of the asshole who'd made her feel such raw terror. She doesn't though, because Piper's hands are still wrapped around her biceps, shaking fingers digging desperately into her muscles. She straightens slowly, allowing her lungs to refill themselves with heaving pants of air. Centers herself back to that neutral state of balanced nirvana. And Piper takes the opportunity to slide her arms around Alex's ribs, drawing them flush against each other as she buries her face in the back of Alex's neck once more. Alex can feel the tears rolling out of her eyes in steady waves as they slide from Piper's skin to her own.

Fahri's still watching them silently from the corner (and Alex will later come to understand that it was a look of apprehension as much as interest when she reflects on this moment later, a fair warning to anyone who dared to wonder what might happen if they were to try to come between the two girls). The beaten man's business partner had been escorted out at some point, or so Alex figures, as they were currently the only four bodies left in the room.

"Impressive," Fahri eventually murmurs thoughtfully.

Piper sends him a glare from over Alex's shoulder, arms still wound tightly around the older girl's torso, hands clenched firmly in her shirt (he knows better than to assume they'd be parting anytime soon), as they both attempt to steady their breath.

They're still tense with adrenaline, rightfully prepared for another fight or flight, waiting for his final judgement on what had just taken place.

He smiles gently, gaze flicking from the near-dead man, to Alex's rigid form, meeting the cold steel blue still glaring at him from over her shoulder. "Don't worry," he says softly, "he was an embarrassment. And way out of line. It was only a matter of time before someone put him in his place."

Piper's eyes narrow in suspicion and he finds his careful smile expanding into one of true amusement, "it's taken care of. Go get yourselves cleaned up. I'll explain it all to Kubra." A soft chuckle slipped through his lips, not entirely planned, "he'll probably be pleased. He's been looking for a reason to put him down for awhile now."

They stay were they are, planted firmly against one another, watching him.

"It's alright," he presses gently, moving towards the door as he pulls out his cellphone, "you're not going to get in trouble. Go get cleaned up. We'll call for you in the morning."

They don't move until he's departed, refusing to allow him to see the shaken state they're in.

Alex begins shaking as soon as Piper's arms unfurl from her torso, and she ducks around to her front, sliding her arms around Alex's quaking frame once more as they stand chest to chest. Piper whimpers softly against her neck as she holds her, and Alex is certain she'd burrow completely into her chest if she could find a way (thinks she'd crack her ribs open _herself_ for her, if it was what Piper wanted).

They lose track of how long they stay standing there, recollecting themselves, assuring themselves they're _okay_, before quietly slipping from the room.

They don't catch the snippets of Fahri's conversation drifting quietly down the deserted hallway as they take their leave; ("She's _surpassed_ my expectations.") ("I'm telling you, if they're still there in the morning you might want to seriously consider taking them on.") ("I don't know _what_ they are. Best friends, girlfriends... fucking sisters... they're _close_, I can tell you that much.") ("Their dependency on one another is astounding, I don't think we'll have to worry about either of them becoming a liability. It's definitely something we can use in our favor though, if need be.")

They decide to stick around.

.

At some point their bodies learn each other.

Or at least Piper believes they did, Alex insists they'd always known each other, even before they met in their current life.

_Two pieces of one whole_, she'd say.

This shared sense of connection, a sort of heightened self awareness that stretched between both of their bodies as equally as it did their singular selves, shown through in almost every aspect of their relationship if you knew where to look for it. Their ability to look up and lock gazes the second one entered a room the other was already occupying, broken pieces of not quite full conversations understood and spoken seamlessly as if a thousand words had been exchanged in between.

There were an uncountable number of small occurrences and habits that suggested there was a deeper sense to their relationship than either could explain or understand. Though Piper mused it was always best observed in the shroud of darkness. The cool cover of night, bleeding into the warm gentleness of morning. Their bodies had a way of finding each other even when they weren't fully aware of themselves. She often found herself revisiting one particular memory when idly contemplating her and Alex's connection. She wasn't even entirely sure how much of it was a memory and how much a dream (but perhaps that's the reason it sticks so insistently in her mind).

She stirred slightly as a gentle stream of sunlight hit her face, lingering in that hazy reality between wakefulness and sleep as her mind lazily felt out her surroundings. Alex is beside her, her arm slung across Piper's back, soft puffs of breath wisping across her neck as she breathes out. Her face is buried in the very edge of her pillow, as if she'd fallen asleep on Piper's originally and had slid slowly sideways during the night. Piper scoots closer, burrowing against Alex's warm body, suddenly desperate for her closeness.

Roused by her nudging, Alex stirs, drawing her arm tighter around the blonde as she settled securely against her. Her palm runs soothingly across Piper's wiggling form, fingers dancing between shoulders, sliding slowly down the warm skin. Her leg had hitched slightly over Alex's own in her struggle and Alex pulls it further against her as she strokes Piper's thigh. Her knee dips across the small of Alex's back as her legs part around the older girl's hips. Whining softly, her hips flex, grinding just slightly against Alex's hipbone. Alex can only smirk lazily, fingers still gently caressing.

Piper's teetering on the edge of deeper sleep once more when Alex's fingers slide deftly over her ass and between her thighs. Two lazy fingers running languidly from her asshole to her clit, pausing as she sighs, before repeating the motion twice more. Alex's touches are light as Piper's hips twitch gently against her own, and Piper exhales slowly, her mouth opening against Alex's shoulder, teeth scraping her skin faintly.

Alex continues to toy gently with her, until she's satisfied that Piper has slipped back into that halfway world of reality and dreams. Her hand returns to Piper's slender hip and she repositions them so she can flip over onto her back. A sigh falls from her own lips as her eyes slide closed once more, fingers trailing lazily back to the space between Piper's thighs. Her fingers dip absently against the girl's slit, gliding smoothly through the slowly pooling wetness almost on instinct. Thumb dancing lightly against Piper's pulsing bundle of nerves, she gradually sinks her fingers further and further into the warm wetness. A push and pull, give and take pattern, and she eases them in a little further each time she pulls out. Piper whines softly against her as her arm flex against Alex's ribs.

She works her slowly and deeply, bringing Piper to a quiet completion. The blonde's eyes flutter open momentarily, just before she goes crashing into orgasm, soft wet walls of her cunt sucking greedily at Alex's fingers. It takes her another thirty minutes to sort herself out from the dizzying high of her orgasm and the still gentle clutches of sleep. Alex has slipped closer to her own edge of oblivious, delirious slumber once more, fingers still buried in Piper's warm wet heat.

They lay in quiet stillness as the soft light of dawn pools around them. Before Piper lazily hoists herself over her sleeping companion, settling their hips against each other, and trails a line of kisses down the column of Alex's throat. She can feel the wet stickiness between her thighs transferring to Alex's and she sighs, grinding herself into Alex a little harder. A low rumbling moan drifts from somewhere within Alex's chest, and Piper stretches herself along the planes of Alex's body like a cat stretching in the warm morning sun. She attaches her lips to Alex's neck, suckling gently as her hips begin to pick up the telltale beat of a rhythm in their grind. And when Alex's hands raises to curl around her hips, to pull them a little harder against each other, Piper snatches her wrists and hoists them above her head.

Alex is too tired to fight. Too stuck in the still thick presence of sleep. Too lost in the way Piper's hipbone is grinding against her clit in _just_ the right way. She teeters on the edge of dreams of reality, fingers tangling with Piper's above her head as Piper's teeth scrape gently at her neck. They have no sense of time in their hazy sluggish minds, and their bodies move on instinct until Alex jerks lightly with the crashing waves of orgasm. Piper's hands fall away from her own, her hips gradually stilling their motions, as their mouths find each other and they kiss for a moment.

And just like that they slip back into unconsciousness.

Bodies and souls entwined as if they'd never meant to be apart.

.

Piper Chapman is twenty-one when she fully realizes the implications of what she's done.

They'd had a fight. Another one. A _bad_ one. One that somehow circled onto their old lives, the ones they'd left behind.

Their arguments seem to be doing that a lot as of late. Dancing closer and closer to a discussion they'd been adamantly avoiding. Somewhere within the last year Alex had begun to feel as if Piper blamed her for her uprooted life, her ruined future (and maybe it scares her because a part of her has always felt like she _should_ and the guilt is something she's spent too much time trying to tamp down). She's begun to feel as if Piper is beginning to regret choosing _her_.

It always begins with Piper making some comment or another about Alex's job. Something designed to wriggle under her skin and provoke Alex into a fight. And it _always_ succeeds. _Always_ grates at Alex's nerves. Because the only reason Alex took the job in the first place was to get Piper off the streets. And she's finally making the money to give Piper the life she _deserves_. And yet the blonde continues to bemoan her. Because nothing is enough. It's never enough. And Alex doesn't know what else to do when she's already giving Piper_ everything she can_.

She's made an especially catty comment tonight, about not knowing why she even came with Alex in the first place if she could spend just as much time with her by having stayed at home as she is _now_.

It's the last Alex can take.

"You _chose_ to come with me, Piper, I didn't force your hand, you came willingly!" Alex growls angrily at her after several tiring circles around the same issue, "_I_ ran away and _you_ chose to follow! You didn't have to, and you _don't_ get to suddenly pretend you miss anything about your old life in some fucked up attempt to make me _regret_ it!"

"That's not fair," Piper counters, "I _do_ miss some things about..." she falters, takes a breath, "I had a _family_ to leave behind, Alex. You didn't."

And maybe _that's_ what's not fair. Piper had been the only thing left worth loving in Alex's life. And Alex would have lost her either way if she _hadn't_ have come with her. She staggers for a moment, as if struck by a physical blow by Piper's words before letting out a soft disbelieving laugh, "Yeah, well. It wasn't much of a very good one, if I recall correctly," she says, voice low, deadly (and Piper can almost see the fangs as she prepares to sink them into her), "'else you wouldn't have _begged me_ to take you with me."

Piper doesn't know what else to say. So she doesn't say anything.

And Alex takes it as resistance.

"You know what, Piper? I'm so sick of this fucking argument. If you really fucking regret this so much, go. Just go. Go back to your family and your life and everything you left behind when you decided to follow me into the fucking_ unknown_. I'm done taking care of you." She turns, putting her back to Piper and running a hand through her hair before exploding, "_GO!_"

It's the first time Alex ever raises her voice to Piper in violent anger.

And Piper jolts, as if she's been physically slapped.

Alex's back is still turned as she catches her breath, dropping her hands from her hair. She doesn't notice the resulting silence until the door clicks closed.

Whirling around wildly, her eyes land on the patch of carpet Piper had been standing upon. Now empty. A white hot panic floods her veins and for a moment she almost bolts for the door, desperate to catch the blonde before she can get too far. But she steels herself. She tells herself Piper will be back. That she just needs to blow off some steam.

She's gone for thirteen hours.

The streets are dead when Piper spills out onto them, and she's struck with an almost sickening familiarity. _These streets that used to be my home_.

Lately she'd begun to feel as if her presence was becoming a burden on Alex. That maybe she should have sucked it up and let her go and not have been so selfish when she _pleaded_ with her not to leave her. She'd seen the way Alex had looked at some of her mules. She'd seen the way she watched other women in the clubs. She knew she couldn't hold a candle to the lot of them. And they may not have been each other's firsts, but Piper knows it's hard not to grow restless in the knowledge that there's an entire world of people out there when all you've ever really had is _one person_. She knows that Alex has always had a short attention span. Alex has always been easily bored once something loses the luster of it's initial mysterious pull. She knows she can't hold onto her forever.

She's nothing but a small town girl, run away from home, with not even a high school diploma to her name. She'd never held a job or earned a living, and was nothing but dead weight to Alex's new-found success. Which she'd grown somewhat comfortable in, content to be away from Piper for longer periods of time, greater stretches of distance. And suddenly Piper feels like she doesn't see Alex as much as she_ used_ to. When she's staring at Alex from across a crowded club as she works instead of standing pressed against her. She tries to fight that clawing panic, the lingering grip of that fear that'd kept ahold of her all throughout their childhood. Every time Alex mentioned _leaving_.

Piper knows it's selfish. She knows she has no right to hold Alex so tightly against her when all she wants is to be free.

But Piper's never been good at bravery.

So when Alex finally tells her to go, she _does_.

Because the only thing scarier than losing Alex is Alex's _hatred_.

She lets her feet carry her through the city, traveling familiar places she's not seen since they were _their_ places, and they eventually bring her upon a payphone. She's got just enough change in her pocket and she stands before it for a long stretch of time, just watching it. As if waiting for it to ring. At some point she takes a step forward, pulls the receiver from it's cradle. Her fingers hover over the buttons for only a moment of hesitation before pounding out a familiar pattern. She's scared and alone and Alex's words are still ringing through her mind and suddenly she just wants to go _home_.

She calls her mother. Almost hangs up before she even answers.

She answers on the third ring.

"Hello?" and Piper's eyes squeeze shut, (the first time she's heard her mother's voice in _five years_) "Hello? ... Who is this?" A beat. "_Piper?_" Her eyes shoot open and she grips the phone tighter, pulling against her ear almost desperately, "Piper... is that you?" her mother's voice is uncharacteristically soft and Piper suddenly finds herself biting back a sob, "Piper! ... _Please_-"

She hang ups.

And the stifling weight of what she's done finally comes crashing down over her shoulders.

Her hands shake. Her knees buckle. She slides down the wall, crumbling to her knees against the ground. A sob wretches it's way from her chest. And she wails.

Eventually she finds the strength to pull herself from the pavement. Allows her feet to carry her blindly once more. Ends up tucking herself against a bench she and Alex had spent more than one cold night huddled against and shuts down. She loses track of just how long she sits there, but the night is receding by the time she drops her stiff and aching legs back to the ground. She thinks she's been here long enough.

Alex awakens to an empty bed.

And a slow thick panic begins to seep heavily into her veins.

She's shaking by the time Piper finally wanders back in. Sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, fingers tugging helplessly at her scalp, and she finally understands what her mother must have felt all those years ago when she'd fled from her arms and into the night. She nearly misses it when the door creaks open with a long slow creak.

She jolts to her feet and Piper flinches. They watch each other silently.

Until Piper can no longer stand it and finally murmurs, "_I'm sorry_."

And Alex wants to be mad at her, wants to be _livid_. She wants to take her by the arms and shake her until she realizes what exactly she's just _put her through_. But fuck if she isn't so_ goddamned relieved_ to see her again, that it's taking all her willpower not to run to the blonde, pull her into her chest, and hold her until the world falls away around them. Suddenly there are tears streaming down Piper's face as she wraps herself in her own arms defensively. "_I'm sorry, Alex,_" she repeats.

"Are you okay?" Alex asks quietly instead.

Then Piper's sobbing. Huge wracking quakes bursting from within her as she collapses into herself, and Alex can longer resist her instincts, pulling the trembling girl into her arms before she even knows what she's doing. She's vaguely aware of thick hot tears sliding down her own cheeks, blending with Piper's, as they fold into one another and _cry_.

And Piper's spewing out gasping mouthfuls of words Alex can't quite make sense of until she pulls her far enough from her chest.

"_Shh, Pipes... shhh..._" she coos.

"I called my mom," she cries, "I called my mom and couldn't even fucking say anything, Alex. I tried. I _tried_ to leave, but I _can't_. I can't... _fucking_... let you _go_. I'm sorry. _I'm sorry I'm so selfish_. I know you don't want to take care of me anymore but I don't know how to live without you."

And suddenly Alex understands that they've both been arguing about different things. She pulls her closer, clutches her tighter, cries harder.

And later, when they're pressed against each other, the soft sheets of their bed pulled over their heads in an attempt to block out the world (an achingly familiar practice from days long gone by that leaves them both feeling raw), Piper tells her that she knew, the moment she heard her mother's voice, that she'd _never_ be able to come back. Never be able to see Alex again. _Ever_. She tells Alex she'd decided she'd rather live with her hatred than not live with her at all.

And Alex finally shushes her, and quietly tells her she'll never have to.

Because Piper Chapman has never been a burden.

Piper Chapman has always been Alex Vause's reason for _living_.

.

Alex begins to take Piper recruiting more regularly after that.

Rather than leaving the blonde alone while she traverses the clubs; it helps. A little. Piper's comments about not getting to see enough of Alex pander off.

It's a lot like the old days in a way, and there's almost a nostalgia to it at first.

Piper watches as Alex draws people, like a spider luring flies to her web, into the cartel life. Alex even convinces her to help every once in awhile, utilizing her own skills of old to lure in the occasional man or two whom Alex can't quite bring herself to pursue. For the most part though, Piper watches. Watches from the sidelines as Alex works her magic. And she begins to understand, for the first time, how Alex must have felt as she'd watched _her_ flirt with all those men for all those drinks all those years ago. Except Piper's pretty sure she never looked quite so into it as Alex does.

She's met the mules on occasion. Evenings out with groups of them in which Fahri and Alex treat them to a celebratory dinner or party that Piper's graciously allowed to tag along to. Their own nights out in which Alex would murmur at her to venture off and dance while she gets a little work done whenever she spots a particularly easy target to draw in. It's different seeing so first hand. And it doesn't take long to grate on Piper's nerves.

They're in a particularly crowded club one night when she finally reaches her limit.

She'd wandered away from Alex's side some thirty minutes ago, and it hadn't taken the brunette long to begin chatting up potential candidates.

She finds her way to the dance floor, just enough drinks in her to throw herself entirely into the mass of bodies pulsating within the confined space and the music thrumming loudly throughout the room. It doesn't take long for someone to take an interest and Piper can't quite help but enjoy the sturdy body that's growing bolder and bolder against her back. Alex has barely spared her a single glance since she left her side, and it's childish, Piper knows, but she can't help but feel cheated at the lack of attention from the brunette. So when the man behind her grows confidant enough to lay a hand against her waist she doesn't stop him.

Alex is currently chatting up a tall red headed woman. And Piper's just desperate enough for attention.

She loses herself in the music, the man behind her guiding them along in the rhythm together with that steady grip at her waist. Her eyes track to Alex occasionally, but she's filled with the same disappointment every time as she wonders whether Alex had noticed her departure at all. She leans into the man's touch. His hips rolling against hers and his breath hitting her ear as he begins to whisper muffled promises to her. He tells her she's beautiful. He tells her she's lovely. He gives her the entirety of his attention. She shoots another glance across the room at Alex, now leaning into the woman, laughing.

The man extends his hand. Piper takes it.

He pulls her from the dance floor, buys her drink after drink, showers her with attention. He makes her feel desired, and Piper loses herself in it.

Eventually he tells her he's leaving, that he and his friends are headed to another bar just down the street and Piper's face falls at the thought of sitting alone in the crowded club once again. The man seems to pick up on her sudden dip in spirits and with a quiet laugh tells her that that had been a poorly executed attempt at an invite. And Piper's heart swells excitedly once again before her mind and gaze returns to Alex.

She's about to tell the man she can't, that she's here with her own friends and they'd wonder where she's gone, when she sees Alex tuck a strand of red hair behind a gentle ear, trail a slow hand down a long arm, lean just a little closer and husk out a low chuckle she can't hear over the noise of the club but can feel within her soul nonetheless. Flooded with a hot wave of anger Piper turns to the man, grabbing her jacket, and tells him to lead the way.

Alex's eyes dart from the woman before her as she catches sight of the blonde donning her jacket and following a group of people from the club. Something within her stomach clenches, but she maintains an easy grin, tearing her gaze back to the redhead before her. She'd been keeping tabs on Piper's location all night. Knew the girl was mad at her for her lack of attention and figured she'd let her work it out of her system before she inevitably turns to drunk sulking at the bar until Alex finally finishes recruiting and comes to collect her. She hadn't counted on the handsome fucker who'd sidled up behind her on the dance floor. Or the gentle grin alighting the blonde's eyes as he nodded towards the door.

Alex tells herself she's just stepping out for a few minutes. Tells herself she'll at least be back by the time Alex is finished, ready to return with her to their bed with hopefully higher spirits than usual. She tells herself Piper's a big girl, capable of making her own decisions and that she has nothing to worry about.

But Piper doesn't confirm any of these thoughts.

And Alex waits until the bouncer tells her she's going to have to leave, that the empty room around her means Piper's not coming back.

Alex is sitting on the end of bed when Piper finally returns several hours later.

She stumbles in with a soft curse, feeling her way through the darkness of the narrow hallway to the bedroom with a steadying hand against the wall. She hesitates when she catches sight of the older woman, pausing in the doorway with a deep breath. The lights are low and she enters tentatively, slowly, a heavy silence hanging between them as she makes her way a little further into the room. She pauses when she reaches the dresser, leaning into it and fixing Alex with an anxiously patient gaze.

Eventually, after what feels like ages, Alex speaks.

"Where've you been?" Her voice is deadly, low and soft, and Piper takes her time answering.

"I went out with some people."

"_Where_." Her voice is still low, but Piper notes the sharp cracks of anger beginning to break through her calm facade. She's angry. And that makes _Piper_ angry. Because Alex had barely spared her a glance when she walked away from her five hours ago and now she has the audacity to act like she'd _missed_ her presence?

And Piper's not quite so practiced at withholding her own anger.

"What d'you care, Alex? You seemed pretty heavily invested in your new toy when I left."

And Alex Vause has always been good at controlling her anger, but when it came to Piper Chapman her control faltered.

She was on her feet before either of them could even realize. Her hand closing around Piper's bicep as she drags the smaller girl into her, "that was BUSINESS, Piper!" The steel in her voice would have been enough to send anyone else quaking. But Piper Chapman was never just _anyone else_.

"Oh, pardon me," Piper seethes, "it's so easy to mistake for _pleasure_ these days."

"What the fuck do you want from me!" Alex explodes, "I leave you here and you complain you don't see enough of me! I take you with me and you decide to run off with the first fucking asshole who shows you the _smallest_ bit of attention when you don't get enough of my own! I can't fucking win here, Piper!"

"Fuck you, Alex." Piper growls, pulling her arm free with a jerk preparing to storm away from the angry brunette before abruptly seeming to change her mind. She takes a sudden step into Alex's space, her hands coming up to connect with the space between her collar bones, and gives her a rough shove, "FUCK you!"

Taken aback by the uncharacteristic display of physical aggression, Alex falters. Until Piper pulls back to set up another shove and her hands raise to capture the blonde's wrists before she can land another blow.

"STOP IT." She barks angrily, "You're acting like a spoiled child."

"Let go of me." Piper growls, vainly attempting to free her wrists from Alex's steel-like grip. Realizing she's unable to overpower the taller woman in her inebriated state, Piper abruptly changes tactics. Pressing herself against Alex's tensed body she murmurs, "You know what Alex, you're right. I _did_ like the attention. He told me I was beautiful, he followed my every move all night... he _wanted_ me." Alex's fingers tighten around her wrists as Piper leans further against her, murmuring softly against her ear, "and I could have had him. And you'd never know. Because you were too busy eye fucking some dumb _slut_ at the bar."

Alex's eyes are a storm when Piper pulls back enough to catch them, unfocused and rolling with dark emotion as her nostrils flare.

"Did you fuck him?" She asks quietly, and Piper thinks she picks up a hint of insecurity in the otherwise collected voice. It's enough to give her pause. Pause that Alex takes as confirmation. Her grips grows impossibly tighter against Piper's wrists and for a moment Piper thinks they might snap under the pressure, "I swear to _fuck_, Piper, if you fucked him..."

"What would you do, Alex?" She challenges quietly.

And Alex's lips pull back in a snarl before their crashing against Piper's angrily.

Their lips meet heatedly as their nails dig into each other's skin. Alex can't help but recoil in surprised when Piper's teeth close against her bottom lip with enough force to send a spurt of blood shooting across both their tongues. She tongues the new wound briefly, eyeing the possessive, challenging look in Piper's gaze. An animalistic growl tears from her throat as she attacks Piper's lips with her own once more. They stumble backwards as they struggle, tumbling into the wall with a thud as they fist and claw at each other's clothes and skin.

Their teeth clash violently as Piper's back connects with the wall. It's animalistic and it's raw and neither of them can tell if it's love or lust or anger or some convoluted mixture of every emotion they've ever instigated in one another. Alex's lip is still bleeding as she drags it and her teeth down Piper's neck, Piper's nails are digging into her own. Piper shoves against her with a sudden surprising force and she slams her back into the wall immediately with another low growl. They're going to be bruised in the morning, but it's not something that works it's way into either of their minds in their current state.

Clothing tears open with heavy ripping sounds, thick in the dark of the bedroom. Alex yanks Piper's thigh over her hips as she lays into her with her weight. It lasts all of a few seconds before Piper's palms connect abruptly with her collarbones, sending her reeling as she stumbles backwards. The backs of her knees connect with the edge of the bed and Piper is on top of her before she even settles fully against the mattress.

Piper's tongue is prodding at the wound she's left against her lips and a fresh wave of anger floods through her as she feels the blonde's lips quirk into a humorless grin against her own. She flips them, driving her knee between Piper's legs as she pins her to the bed beneath her.

Clothes are torn away angrily, flying across the room in wild arcs and crumpled bunches. It's a competition to see who can gain the upper hand first, each of them rolling and tumbling, throwing one another around the bed in their desperation to come out on top. It's Alex who eventually wins. Still half-clothed and finally managing to pin the blonde beneath her as she reaches for her legs.

Her fingers delve roughly into Piper's cunt and she gasps as she arches against her hand.

The contact is deep and filling, and Piper groans breathlessly under the motions of Alex's thrusts. It doesn't take long for the struggle to seep from her muscles as Alex's lips wrap around a stiff and protruding nipple, biting down quickly before sucking gently. It takes even less time to build Piper to her peak. Alex's pace is relentless as she drives Piper higher and higher, and Piper writhes deliciously under the attention she'd fought so hard to receive. Alex's thumb brushes her clit roughly and it's all she needs. She explodes around Alex's fingers, a thick wave of heart pooling around them.

They still as Piper attempts to catch her breath, Alex's fingers still between her legs. She attempts to raise herself from the bed when Alex's free hand collides with the center of her chest, pushing her back down in the mattress.

"No. You're going to cum again. You're going to cum again and you're going to remember this feeling the next time you get the urge to suck some _fuck_ off in some shitty club. You're going to remember what _I_ make you feel. You're going to remember what _I_ do to you. And you're going to _beg me_ to be your release. Because _I know you_, Piper. I know you better than _I_ know _myself_ and I know you better than _you_ know _yourself_." A soft growl escapes, Piper shudders beneath her. "And I'm going to _ruin you_. Because you're never going to be able to get off with anyone else ever again."

Her thrusts are slow and deep. So deep. She's not sure she's ever been this deep, but Piper's hips are pushing back against her palm and she's not entirely sure she could stop now if either of them truly wanted her to (and part of her is terrified at the realization of how tremendously this red hot fury quakes within her). Piper's groaning at a steady pulsing hum, a continuous noise of _need_. She's beyond words. Alex's fingers stretch deeper.

She brings her off six more times before finally pulling her fingers from the blonde and falling to her elbows atop her.

They're both shaking, gasping for air as they struggle to regain control of themselves and the wild emotion that's just driven them to such a place.

There are thick, fat tears in Piper's eyes as she struggles to catch her breath and find herself amid the chaos of hypersensitivity and emotion. And Alex suddenly feels every ounce of that all encompassing rage dissolve through her in a terrible wave of heartache. She collapses fully atop her. Her own tears smear messily across Piper's neck as Piper's drip from her cheeks to Alex's scalp. They're clutching each other once more, with an anxious desperation, fingers digging into skin in a terrified attempt to anchor themselves together. As if loosening their grip would pull them apart in a way that could never be stitched back together.

"I love you." Piper whispers hoarsely, her voice faded and weak, "I love you, Alex. I love you. I love you."

She breathes it out with every breath until her fragile voice cracks and leaves her once more. Alex presses a gentle kiss to her neck with every declaration as their skin cools against each other. "I'm sorry," Alex whispers weakly against her skin, "Piper. I'm sorry for all of it. I'm sorry I-"

A heavy tremor works it's way through Alex's body as she shudders atop Piper's exhausted form. She can't see through the tears tumbling from her eyes in thick waves and it makes her cry harder. The don't leave one another's embrace for the rest of the night.

Fahri asks them to take the next step a few days later. Finally opening the doors to the world of the _international_ cartel.

Alex tells herself it's what they need. A fresh start. New cities. _Change_.

She hopes it's enough to fix them. She's hopes it's enough to keep Piper from fraying any further at the seams.

.

There are nights when Piper's body thrums with an anxious energy.

When Alex can see her building to a violent implosion and quietly finds a way out of her plans.

Usually all it takes is a night in, cradling the blonde close and maintaining a constant contact. _Usually_. But some nights Piper's anxieties hum too loud or Alex doesn't catch them until it's too late. She'd learned that the hard way. The night Piper almost attacked one of her mules.

She'd gotten angry, invaded Alex's space, leveled a threatening finger at the young girl who'd stepped up to intervene at the sight of her boss in potential danger. It'd ended with Alex's hands wrapped around her biceps, dragging her out of the club and into the streets. Telling her to go home. She'd watched until the blonde disappeared from sight before returning to the bar to diffuse the rest of the situation and get her kids back under control.

When she'd returned to their room several hours later, she realized her mistake.

The vase of flowers Piper had purchased from a local vendor several days ago lay broken on the other side of the room now, sharp jagged pieces scattered haphazardly across the floor under a still damp patch upon the wall. Folders and papers and other various items of her work covered the room in patches, as if thrown aggressively from the table with the sweep of an arm. Alex's eyebrows furrow slightly, angry at the blonde's childish display of anger, before she moves further into the room. Piper's jacket lays in a heap on the floor near the kitchen, slowly growing moist with wine, shards of a broken bottle and shattered glasses shining under the lights of the kitchen beside it. Her eyes trail over the mess before turning towards the hall to the bedroom. The pictures that had once hung pristine and collected now hang crooked (she notes one has fallen off the wall entirely, frame cracked upon it's collision with the floor). It isn't until she reaches the bedroom that she notices the blood.

Smears of it, coating the walls in smudged fingerprints and long fading strokes. She casts her gaze back towards the kitchen in alarm eyeing the assortment of broken shards laying scattered across the floors and her heart skips a beat for the faintest of moments before she tells herself Piper would never do something so stupid. But her heart is pounding heavily against her chest now, and the overwhelming _silence_ of the place is starting to feel stifling. She catches sight of cracked indentation in the wall at the mouth of the hallway that she'd missed upon her first inspection, and she moves shakily back towards it.

The blood is thicker here, splintered indentations and the faint shape of a fist and knuckles painted within the cracks and blood. She turns quickly towards the bedroom.

Her heart is attempting to leave her chest as her eyes sweep the empty bedroom and gives no sign of the missing blonde.

"Piper?" She calls out desperately, "_Piper_!"

She's in full panic by the time she catches sight of the small sliver of light shining through the crack at the foot of the bathroom door. She launches herself after it, shoulder colliding unintentionally hard as the nob sticks against her hand, refusing to give way.

"_PIPER._" She barks again, shaking hopelessly at the stiff handle, "_PIPER!_"

She's throwing her weight against the door now, her mind replaying image after terrible image of what might be behind the unforgiving door. She's slamming her full weight against it, pounding at it and screaming, prepared to throw everything she's got at it before Piper's voice _finally_ drifts out from behind it.

"Go away, Alex."

A hot flood of heady relief washes over her at the sound of the blonde's very much alive and well voice.

"Open the door, Piper." She says, arms stretching out to support her now quivering body against the frames.

"_Go away!_"

She's taken aback by the anger, still thick within the blonde's muffled voice, "Piper, open the goddamn door!"

She's met with silence.

Dropping her forehead to the wood before her, she takes a moment to steady her breath, ease her heart rate into something calmer, her tone into something softer. Her lungs take in a long slow pull of air as she squeezes her eyes shut against the absolute _fear_ she'd just experienced, feels it seeping out of her slowly with every breathe she takes.

"Piper..." she starts with almost a whisper, "_please_... open the door."

"Fuck off, Alex!"

She grits her teeth, shoving her forehead harder against the cool wooden barrier, "Pipes..." and suddenly there's a wetness in her eyes, "I just... _need_ to make sure you're _okay_... fuck... _PLEASE_."

There's a long stretch of silence before Piper responds. "I'm fine, Alex. Go away."

And she draws another long lung-full of air before turning around and sliding to floor, her back pressed heavily into the barrier between them. Burying her face in her hands, she lets go. Thick heaving sobs wrack her body as she she shudders silently. The adrenaline finally coursing from her system, leaving her raw and vulnerable. She's not quite sure how long she cries.

Eventually though the sobs begin to lessen, the tears begin to patter out, the quakes become nothing more than shivers. And she sighs, dropping her head back against the door with a soft thump.

"Piper..." she begins, running a hand under her nose with a sniff, "_Pipes_..."

She doesn't know what to say for a moment, eyes trailing over the ceiling above her, "I'm sorry... when I... I didn't _see_ you. And I thought... fuck, Piper... I thought..." she tries desperately to find the words, but she knows she'll never be able to voice them, her biggest fear, her _only_ fear, "I was so scared, Pipes. I was so..." Her voices catches, and she swallows vainly against a thick lump that has settled low in her throat. "I'm sorry. I never should have... _fuck_!"

Her head thumps back against the door in her frustration, her eyes welling with tears once more.

"Please come out, Pipes... _please_... I..." it's all she can manage before giving way to the muffled sobs lodging their way into her throat once more.

She's somewhere between sleep and consciousness sometime later when the weight at her back gives way, and barely manages to catch herself tumbling backwards through the open door. Her gaze jolts upwards, locking with Piper's as she stands quietly over her. Her eyes are puffy and red and Alex knows her own probably don't look too much better (would venture to guess they're probably a million times worse). She's cradling her hand to her chest as she studies the brunette and Alex holds her gaze as she slowly maneuvers herself to her feet.

"_Pipes_..." she murmurs, catching sight of her bloody and broken knuckles.

Piper says nothing. Sniffs once. Studies the floor. And Alex takes a tentative step towards her, hands outstretched, hovering hesitantly over Piper's swollen fingers before darting her gaze back up to the blonde's crystal blue eyes, silently asking for permission. Which Piper seems to grant as she silently turns turns the raw red skin of her hand from her chest towards Alex.

"Fuck." Alex murmurs, hands still hovering, afraid to touch the broken skin and fingers, afraid to cause anymore pain. "C'mere," she coaxes gently, easing Piper back into the bathroom and settling her atop the closed lid of the toilet as she ruffles through the cabinets for the first aid kit.

They remain silent as she cleans Piper's wounds, wetting a washcloth with warm water and clearing away some of the mess of the wounds. Piper's eyes track the red stains slowly creeping into the once-pristine white of the washcloth and finds it a strangely fitting image. Alex clears away the blood, wiping the open skin with hydrogen peroxide and setting Piper's two broken fingers with a small splint. She finishes with a roll of gauze, slowly covering the raw skin of Piper's knuckles before dropping the gentlest of kisses atop the plush material. And Piper nearly cries at the tenderness of it.

She tucks the curtains of hair that had fallen around Piper's face back behind her ears as they lock gazes once more, holding one another's eyes and communicating a million silent conversations. Eventually a soft sigh falls from her lips and she closes her eyes, moving forward to drop another gentle kiss upon Piper's forehead. She leads her quietly from the bathroom.

Alex undresses them silently, laying them down in the covers of the bed and pulling Piper against her immediately. Her hands run across Piper's skin in slow gentle patterns, as she gradually leads the blonde into a calm and gentle sleep.

There are no more tears to shed for the night.

As Alex holds Piper tightly against her and wonders how much longer she can keep gluing her cracks together when she threatens to fall apart.

.

Alex is twenty-eight when she leaves the cartel.

It isn't planned. It isn't impulsive. But if you'd asked either of them, looking back, they's say it had been a gradual slide into an abrupt collapse. It had gotten dangerous (though Alex had never deluded herself into thinking it wouldn't be, she'd known it'd be dangerous the moment they slipped from the warmth of Piper's bedroom and into the cold arms of the streets all those years ago).

It had worn on Piper. The business. They lifestyle. The danger. The moving. _The lack of Alex._ She won't admit it, but she's grown tired of this life, and, somewhere along the lines, _miserable_. And she'd begun to think there might be something seriously wrong with her when she'd started to catch herself missing the days they'd spent living on the streets.

Alex had noticed it in parts, but convinces herself she didn't. Piper had been growing melancholic, despondent. She'd spend her days in bed more often than not and rarely speaks unless spoken to. And Alex convinced herself not to worry about it until it was something she can no longer ignore.

She'd rolled her eyes when she'd return home from a several-hours-long meeting only to find Piper exactly where she left her, sigh heavily when she'd say she was going out with a few of the mules for drinks and Piper would mumble a barely decipherable _"okay"_. It wasn't until they were preparing to leave Milan after a two month stay that that nagging worry she'd been pushing down pushed back.

"Pipes, our flight leaves in three hours could you _please_ get out of bed and get packed?" She'd recently given up requesting she get _ready_ for things anymore, as 'getting ready' for Piper had, at some point, reduced to 'put on shoes'.

"I'm packed," Piper's voice speaks from somewhere within the covers.

"Really? Because I haven't seen you move all day. When exactly did you find the time to pack?" Her attention's divided between their conversation and the task of making sure all their final arrangements are in place when Piper's following statement stops her cold.

"I never _un_packed."

Alex stills, turning to face the mound of blankets on the bed, "What?"

No response.

"Piper. We've been here for over a month and a half."

No response.

"What do you mean you haven't _unpacked_?"

No fucking response.

Dropping what she was doing, Alex strides over to the bed and pulls down the covers enough to see Piper's face. She's curled on her side, back towards Alex, facing the center of the bed. And Alex's empty pillow.

"Piper."

"What's the point, Alex?" She murmurs tiredly, "Why do you even care?"

A foreign feeling of coldness seeps across Alex's skin as that repressed sense of unease suddenly slams into her chest, "Piper... how many times have you left this bed other than trips to the bathroom or kitchen?"

No response.

She rakes a hand through her hair as panic takes over, "_Piper_."

"What do you _care_, Alex?" Piper's voice is soft when she speaks. So soft. Alex strains to hear it. "I'm not bothering you. I'm ready to go. What does it matter?"

"Piper, you haven't left this bed in over a month what do you mean _what does it matter_? It fucking matters!"

Piper sighs heavily but offers no other response.

Alex stands abruptly from the bed, both hands threading tightly against the hair at her scalp as she stalks across the room, pauses, stalks back.

"Fuck." She whispers, "_FUCK_."

She casts one last glance at Piper's despondent form before striding from the room. The door closes with a bang. Piper doesn't move.

They arrived in Paris four hours later.

Alex murmurs a soft "_I'll be back_" as Piper climbs into the new bed.

She'd returned hours later, much later than usual, and slid quietly in behind Piper. Her arms snaking around the younger girl, and Alex cradled her against her chest as tightly as she dared. Piper seems so fragile anymore. A trail of tears leak from her eyes before she can stop them, and she buries her face against Piper's neck in attempt to suppress them. Piper's hand rises to lay against her forearm and Alex cries harder as she squeezes softly. She drops a collection of kisses along the base of Piper's neck as the night drifts on around them.

They stay in Paris for five months. They develop a routine. Not new. But altered. Alex would slip quietly from the bed with the breaking dawn, dropping a soft kiss to Piper's head, whispering a quiet plea for her to remember to eat, before departing from the room until well after sunset. She returns every night now. Immediately. Disrobing and slipping into the bed once more to pull Piper against her, holding her closely for the rest of the night.

It was nearing ten in the evening, going on their fifth month when Alex breaks routine.

She bursts into the room with a quiet urgency, and Piper stirs slightly.

"C'mon."

Her brows furrow as she watches Alex grab their things, already mostly packed.

"Come ON."

"What's going on?" Piper asks dazedly.

"We're going."

"Where?"

"_Away_. Piper, _come on_."

She rises slowly from the bed as Alex tosses her a hoodie, "Alex..." Piper watches her dart around the room, "Are we in trouble?"

"No. But we're going to be soon so I need you to MOVE."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Piper murmurs, growing uneasy. She slips the hoodie over her head.

"We're leaving, Piper."

"Alex..." she ventures hesitantly as the older woman hands her a dufflebag, and places a gently guiding hand at the small of her back, "you're scaring me."

"I'm sorry, Pipes, but if we want to make a clean break we have to move _NOW_."

"A clean... Alex what- _what is going on_?"

And Alex is pulling her out the door as she begins to explain, "I've been stashing away money, preparing for the perfect opportunity. It took a lot of time and precisely laid plans but it's happening _now_, Piper, and we need to _go_."

"What did you do?" Piper asks, a thick fear seeping into her voice (and Alex almost loves it, because it's been so long since she's heard _any_ sort of emotion in the Piper's lilting tone), as Alex leads them down the hall, forgoing the elevator as she drags them down the stairs.

"I took care of things, babe. And things are about to get messy, so if we want out we have to go _now_. It's our only opportunity. It's our chance to start over."

Piper's head is spinning by the time they reach the pavement. A car she doesn't recognize is waiting for them out front, and Alex thanks the valet, tossing the bags into the trunk before helping Piper into the passenger seat.

"Alex..." Piper asks as she settles beside her in the driver's seat, gunning the car to life, "where are we going?"

And there's fear in Alex's eyes and a nervous grin on her face when she turns her head to face her.

"We're running away, Pipes."

They're well on their way out of the city when Alex begins explaining that she couldn't bear to force Piper through that life anymore. That it had slowly been killing them both. She tells her she'd lost herself in it all, and had only wanted to give Piper everything she's ever deserved, that she was addicted to the sensation of _finally_ being able to reach out and take anything she ever wanted. She tells her she didn't realize the price they'd been paying had been _themselves_.

They drive late into the night, Alex talking about the money she'd begun saving and the plans she'd been assembling. Creating a chaotic mess that Kubra would spend _weeks_ untangling before realizing he'd lost the girls for good. She tells Piper they'll be long gone by the time he does, carving out a new life in a new town once again. She tells Piper they don't have to worry. Because they've got each other.

And for the first time in Alex can't remember _how_ long, a smile creeps across the face of Piper Chapman.

The car travels silently into the night as their fingers tangle gently between the center console.

And everything else falls away into the night as the world shrinks down to _Piper Chapman and Alex Vause_.

Because that's all they've ever needed.

.

They leave this aspect of their life they way they left every other; quietly and in the cover of darkness.

When the sun begins to peak across the horizon with the early stretched of morning it would not reveal Alex Vause and Piper Chapman. And Paris, France would just become another bullet point on the long list of brief abandoned moments in their unstill lives.

There are three things Alex Vause and Piper Chapman would _always_ be.

Restless.

Free.

and Together.

* * *

><p>Hahaaaa... so I was gonna like... take this time between fics to sort of write something small... and <em>light<em>... and honestly... I just... don't even know what happened. This is another one that's been in the making for awhile, so it feels good to finally get it out. I know I said that the last one would probably be the longest one I ever write but haha, fuck, I guess that makes me a goddamn liar because here we fucking are. I'd tentatively say it again but at this point I doubt any of you would believe me so I'll just leave it at this and ask you not to be too disappointed if I ever actually _do_ end up posting six thousand word chapters again.

I MAY make a few edits throughout the week because I haven't gotten a chance to sit through and reread it all in one go yet, but aside from sporadic spelling errors and like, I think it's turned out as good to go as it ever will :)

anyway a special thank you to **orange dandelion** who listens to me babble out tangled ideas and chopped up excerpts until I can finally pull something resembling a story out of them. I don't know how you do it, but _bless you_.


	21. Chapter 21

inspired by **captainscarletts** and her Orange AUs on tumblr  
>and, of course, the song <em>Florida Kilos<em> by Lana Del Rey** [M RATING]**

* * *

><p><em>"Come on down to Florida, I got something for ya..."<em>

She wonders how in the world she ended up on a flight from Jakarta to Florida.

Florida. Of all places. Even when she'd been working jobs stateside, Alex Vause had always been above _Florida_. Up until a week ago, when her boss had called her in for a meeting and told her about the small cocaine ring he'd bought into in what she was now certain was her _least favorite_ state. The young man he'd partnered with had recently run into a string of bad dealings and was dangerously close to losing the entire operation. He wanted Alex to fly down and try to save what she could. Or put an end to situation indefinitely.

"Relax, Vause," Kubra drawls, bored with the discussion already, "it's spring break, all the sweet young ass you can get your fill of. Truthfully you should be _thanking_ me."

Alex doesn't agree. But she'll never tell Kubra that. The real truth of the matter is that she was beginning to grow bored with impressionable young co-eds. She was beginning to grow content in the jet setting life and being able to take the women to bed she _wanted_ to take to bed, women who no longer fit the description of the ones she fucked for her job. The truth of the matter is that _Florida_ is below her. _Cocaine_ is below her. And playing maid to a shitty side project gone awry is _definitely_ below her.

She slips on her aviators and tells him she'll handle it.

.

It's a sweltering _bitch_ of a place.

There's hot, she's _been to_ hot, she's _felt_ hot, Florida is not _hot_. Florida is unbearable. Florida is a sticky heat, thick and constricting. And Florida is a dry heat, arid and chafing. And the two intermingle in a way designed to make you question whether you ever truly knew what comfort was to begin with. Because if there was one word Alex could think of to perfectly sum up Florida, it was _uncomfortable_. Florida is the tropics for those who do not know what the tropics _are_.

She's assaulted by a heat that makes her shift her weight irritably from foot to foot as she steps from the cool staleness of the airport in search of her ride. The sun is beating down on her and she thumbs her aviators a little further up the bridge of her nose as her lip curls in distaste.

She can't fucking wait to leave.

The man who arrives to pick her up grins excitedly, and she rolls her eyes behind the dark lenses, somewhat disappointed that he can't see. He talks a mile a minute about anything and everything she couldn't have less of an interest in, and she takes the opportunity to wonder if he's just the preamble for _everyone_ she's about to meet in this sorry state.

He rambles about the business in the way an excited child might talk about the kingdom they'd created out of blocks and loose twigs with their friends during recess. Obnoxiously large houses roll lazily past their windows. And when they pull up to the gate standing guard outside the McMansion she knows she'll be spending the majority of her stay _avoiding_ he shoots her another grin. He's strangely proud about the entire ordeal, and she watches him with dull boredom as he squirms in some sort of male-entitled excitement, as if he must think something about this is impressive to her. But Alex has _seen_ wealth, and Alex has _seen_ paradise, and this was nothing more than a obnoxiously large house in a obnoxiously dull state.

.

Meeting the kid in charge isn't much of a change of pace.

Eckhardt is his name, and he's exactly what Alex had expected him to be; young, wealthy, and entitled. She won't feel too much of a loss if she can't save the business. His sand-colored hair falls stylishly against his brows, perfectly tousled in a manner to suggest it _hasn't_ been, and his teeth shine with a sickly intensity that's almost unreal. She thinks she might have admired his easy charm if she weren't being forced to endure it.

Their introductions are brief (for which she is thankful) and she's quickly offered the guesthouse just off the edge of the property, past the obnoxiously large pool complete with fake waterfall and strategically placed greenery for a more _authentic_ feel (to which she politely declines, quietly thankful that Kubra had offered her his _own_ modest property for the duration of her stay). They make plans to meet again later, depending on whether Alex feels up to it (she's quite sure she _won't_, but delaying it for the night is another ten hours spent in the clutches of Florida and truthfully she'd rather get through this entire ordeal as quickly as possible).

Another proudly gleaming face drops her outside the small beach house Kubra has left her the keys to and for the first time since she entered the sorry state she begins to feel the slightest tinge of comfort. It's a far cry from the over-sized houses she'd just passed through and she feels her burning hatred for the man dissipate the tiniest bit at the gesture. He might have known how pissed she was about the entire ordeal, but he'd also known what kind of atmosphere she'd feel most comfortable in.

She deposits her bags at the door, moving quietly through the house until she's face to face with the gentle rolling ocean. She stands on the back deck for a long while, the sky churning from shades of blue to pinks to purples, wondering yet again how exactly she'd managed to land herself in this sordid situation.

.

It's well past ten when she finally gets around to the club she'd been instructed to meet at.

Moving through the crowd effortlessly, it doesn't take her long to spot the VIP section and the collection of glamorous faces within it. Eckhardt beams proudly, as if welcoming an old friend and she allows him a patient smile, the best she can do while weighed heavy with lingering jet lag. She's got a drink in her hands in a matter of seconds and she listens half-heartedly, choosing to play the silent spectator, as the boys talk business around her. Kubra, if _anything_, has made sure to teach her that it's often easier to glean information by remaining quiet and letting the parties _around you_ do the talking. And she opts to do just that as she gets a feel for the place and the people she'll be spending the next several months in the company of.

Her eyes slide over a group of women in the corner, laughing merrily as they gyrate against once another to the beat of the club's music. No doubt the girlfriends of her temporary business partners. Her gaze lingers on one in particular for a moment, head tipped back, blonde hair cascading graciously over her shoulders, as she sways to the music and laughs into her drink. But the spell is quickly broken by Eckhardt's hand at her elbow. He's telling her some inane story about some "sucker" they'd "totally taken advantage of" last week and by the time her eyes drift back to the corner the blonde is nowhere to be seen.

It's for the best, Alex muses wryly. Any sort of distractions right now would only inevitably prolong her stay in _Florida_.

She downs the rest of her drink and quickly gestures for another.

.

She's half passed buzzed when she catches sight of the girl again.

Weaving her way through the pulsing crowd she approaches the group almost as if she were gliding. Alex's eyes follow her raptly. She slips an arm around Eckhardt's waist, molding herself to him seamlessly, her gaze fixed on Alex, and it takes the brunette a moment to notice the man speaking.

"Hey babe! Are you having fun?" (and the blonde nods, eyes never leaving Alex's) "Do you need some more treats?" (she nods again, and her eyes are blue, so blue, the bluest blue Alex has seen since entering this sorry state, the bluest blue Alex has maybe ever seen in her life) Eckhardt fishes something out of his pocket, hands it to her and finally follows her gaze to the woman across from them "Oh! Piper this is Alex, she's who I told you about; The Savior sent to rescue us from damnation! Alex, this is my girlfriend, Piper."

"Pleased to meet you, Alex." She purrs, extracting herself from the man's grasp to offer Alex a delicate hand (and Alex thinks she's never loved the sound of her name more, and vaguely wonders just how drunk she _is_).

"Likewise... _Piper_."

Alex Vause has never been one to believe in fate or love or any sort of Hallmark bullshit like that. But she can't entirely convince herself that the thrill of nerves that shot down her arm the moment her hand enveloped the blonde's is anything to do with the alcohol currently pounding through her system.

A slow smirk works it's way across Piper's lips as she gently takes her hand back, gaze still lingering on Alex's as she drops a kiss to Eckhardt's grinning cheek and retreats back into the smokey confines of the crowded club.

Alex suddenly has the sinking fear that she'll be spending more time in Florida than originally anticipated.

.

Piper, she finds, is a doper.

And Alex had never had much respect for the people who use their own product, but something about the blonde coaxes her to reconsider. Piper uses with an ease that suggests the drugs need _her_, and not the other way around. She rolls a hundred between her fingers, leans over the naked laughing body of the woman lying stretched across the bar, and chases that white line with a practiced ease. Swiping a thumb deftly across the underside of her nose she catches Alex's stare and winks.

She's been in Florida for just under a week and her fascination with the blonde has since tripled.

Her eyes seeking the girl out as she sits with the boys and listens as they talk strategy. Piper's there every night. Gliding through the crowds with an ethereal ease. And Alex's eyes follow like a dog who's been commanded to heel. She knows Piper knows she's watching. The thought alone makes her want to redirect her gaze. Refuse to give into whatever game the girl is playing. But something inside her refuses. And she eventually convinces herself that if she's going to be trapped in fuck-awful Florida, she might as well enjoy the view.

And oh what a view it was.

On the seventh day Piper approaches, and tells Eckhardt she's had enough of the club for the night, tells him she's heading out to swim. He humors her for a moment, tells her she knows he doesn't like her out alone so late and her eyes fall to Alex's as she says "_so send someone with me_."

"Babe," he begins with a sigh, and suddenly Alex is speaking before she realizes what she's doing.

"I'll take her." Her gaze fixed on the blonde, she can fell Eckhardt's confused glance landing at the side of her face, "I was about to head out anyway. Starting to feel a little cramped. And hey, it gives me a chance to see a little more of the city. Call it a night?" She asks, tapping her empty glass against the arm of her chair.

"Alright, if you're sure." He agrees amicably, "don't be afraid to tell her it's time to leave whenever you're ready to though. She's notorious for spending way too much time in the water once you let her in there. Like a fuckin' fish, this one."

He drops a kiss to Piper's cheek and sends them off without a second glance.

Piper's eyes remain fixed on Alex the whole way to the exit. That maddening smirk slowly tugging across her lips once more.

Alex knows she's playing with fire.

She just can't quite seem to make herself care.

.

Piper takes her to a private pool, just down the beach from the club.

"Eckhardt owns the hotel," she murmurs, sliding open the gate and stepping aside to allow Alex in, "and the pool closes at ten for anyone without access to a key." She glides past Alex, pausing to lean slightly into her space as she murmurs, "which leaves me, Eckhardt, and a couple of the boys."

She smells like lilies and citrus and something Alex would assume is probably called "waterfall" or "rain forest" or "_tropical_" (and for the first time since entering the sorry state Alex thinks maybe Florida _does_ have a hint of paradise hidden somewhere within it). She watches the girl slide by and vaguely notes the beginning of a smirk tugging at her own lips. She thinks it might be the closest she's come to a genuine smile since Jakarta. She tries not to think too much about it.

Sinking into one of the vacant pool chairs, she's suddenly aware of just how tired she is as she reclines slowly, eyes lazily watching the blonde as she circles the edge of the quiet pool. She pulls her shirt from over her head, shimmies her pants down her legs, and dips a toe into the gentle waters.

"Hmmm..." she hums quietly. And Alex lets her eyes trail over the newly exposed expanse of skin.

Then Piper turns, tossing a slow smirk over her shoulder, and Alex watches in restrained fascination. Her fingers glide up her sides to tangle in the thin string of her top, toying with the loose knot until it leisurely falls away. She slides the bottoms down her legs to the concrete beside it and dives in.

And Alex's heart is suddenly hammering in her chest.

Her blonde head breaks through the water as she breaches for air halfway across the pool and she swims a few long laps, back and forth across the pool, before surfacing for air and leaning up on her elbows along the edge in front of Alex's chair.

They study one another for a moment, Alex's eyes tracking the wet rivulets gliding slowly down Piper's tan skin.

Piper lips her licks before finally breaking the silence, "you should come in."

A small chuckle slips from the back of Alex's throat as she eyes the shining blue irises, surprisingly clear and _open,_ "something tells me that might not be the best idea."

"Why not?" Piper's blonde head cocks gently to the side and Alex is suddenly struck by just how young and innocent she looks. A far cry from the pantheress who'd been quietly enticing her throughout the club all week. She can't tear her eyes away from those shining irises, suddenly a much lighter blue than they'd seemed to be an hour ago.

She sucks a lung-full of air, shaking her head just slightly, "because I won't be able to keep my hands to myself."

A genuine smile blooms across Piper's face, the first one Alex has seen since meeting the girl, and she knows she's done for (it's a smile Alex knows she'll do _anything_ for) "Who says I want you to?"

It doesn't take much more convincing to get her out of her clothes and into the water.

Piper's floating a few feet away from her when she returns to the surface for air, blue eyes watching her with a quiet interest as Alex slowly makes her way over to her. She knows she should say something, put an end to this altogether, but she's sick of listening to Eckhardt's self-gratifying stories. She's sick of this sorry state and it's suffocating uncomfortableness. She's sick of playing errand girl for a paycheck that's never going to compare to what she _could be_ making in Jakarta right now.

Suddenly Alex Vause finds herself not caring about a lot things.

Because suddenly the only thing Alex Vause wants is the blonde floating patiently in front of her.

And suddenly Alex Vause thinks she deserves a little bonus for all the trouble she's being put through for _other people's_ messes.

Piper's lips are soft against her own when they meet. She allows Alex to set the pace for a moment, content to follow her tentative lead now that she knows she's successfully pulled the older woman in. Alex's hand raises to cup the back of her neck, pulling the blonde's lips into her own as she coaxes her mouth open, quickly sneaking her tongue past Piper's teeth. Piper's hands rise to settle against her jaw, sliding slowly across her cheeks as the tips of her fingers dig lightly into the dark hair at the base of Alex's skull. It's a slow and gentle discovery, until Piper breaks away with a soft gasping moan, and suddenly Alex is aware of just how badly she wants this.

She crashes their lips back together forcibly, dragging Piper's face towards her own once again with the hand still buried within the hair at her neck. Her free hand drops to Piper's hip, gliding smoothly against the bare skin as she hitches the blonde's leg up over her own. Piper goes willing as Alex quickly walks her backwards towards the shallow end and the long sloping stairs. She stretches her out along them for a moment, slowly easing the girl further and further along the steps until she's just barely in the pool.

The water laps at the base of Piper's thighs as Alex slowly eases her to lie back over the top stair, her shoulders coming to rest on the pavement outside. Alex's lips begin a slow descent down her body, stopping to tease at the nipples pebbling proudly in the cooling air of the night before continuing their downward journey. Piper squirms deliciously under her touch and Alex pauses a moment to watch the water lap gently against her exposed cunt before placing a slow kiss against her straining clit.

Piper's body jerks pleasantly, pulling her into a sitting position, and Alex eases her back down against the cool concrete with a hand splayed widely across her chest.

"_Alex..._" she murmurs, her own hand gliding up to tangle with the fingers of Alex's pressed against her chest.

Alex says nothing, continuing to study the girl's parted legs before her as she drags a slow stiff finger between the folds.

"_Uhn_." Piper grunts, hips flexing desperately against Alex's light touch.

"You're so fucking wet," Alex mutters absently, enraptured by the contrast of the girl's own fluids against the gently lapping waters of the pool.

"I've been waiting for this for awhile," Piper breathes quietly, and Alex's dark gaze flicks from the sight between her legs to her face. Piper's eyes are closed, her head tipped back against the edge of the concrete, as she vainly flexes her hips for attention under Alex's stilled movements. She watches her for a moment, quietly taken aback by how beautiful Piper suddenly looks stretched out beneath her, panting and _wanting_. The blonde had been nothing but seductive up until tonight and Alex was finding it hard to keep track of all the new and undiscovered sides to her. Suddenly she's filled with the desire to discover them _all_.

She leans forward, dropping a gentle kiss to the curve of Piper's hip bone before dipping a finger in. Piper lets out a low gravelly sound, arching her back like a cat under Alex's firm hand, still pressing gently against her chest. She watches her fingers slide in and out of the blonde's tight channel, completely enraptured with the sheer effortless _ease_ of it all, before leaning forward to place her mouth against her protruding clit once more.

It doesn't take long to bring Piper over the edge, and Alex is torn between watching her squirm beneath her grasp and leaving her mouth against her pulsating cunt for the rest of the night. She finally pulls away when Piper stills, sinking bonelessly against the concrete below her as she struggles to catch her breath.

Licking her lips, Alex runs her hands gently up her slowly heaving sides, sliding her body over Piper's as she returns to the girl's gasping mouth. Piper wastes no time tangling her fingers in the dark tresses of Alex's neck and pulling her to her lips once more.

"Mmm..." she hums as they slowly pull away, "I figured you were good, but... _fuck_." She breathes with a quiet laugh, and Alex smirks as her thumbs brush against Piper's red-tinged cheeks.

"Was it everything you'd dreamed it would be?" Alex murmurs softly, dropping a slow kiss to the pulse point of her neck.

"_More_..." Piper hums beneath her, and Alex can feel the soft vibrations of the skin of Piper's throat running through her lips. They lay in silence for awhile, dropping quiet kisses and trailing gentle touches against heated skin, before Piper pulls Alex's lips to her own for a long deep kiss. "Take me home," she murmurs softly as they part, their faces only centimeters away.

And Alex chuckles huskily, brushing back a strand of blonde hair, "isn't you're boyfriend going to wonder where you are when he wakes up to an empty bed?"

"I have my own room. And Eckhardt knows I enjoy the privacy of coming and going as I please. A small price for a girlfriend who turns her head the other way whenever he decides to entertain himself by bringing home a new toy."

Alex is silent for a moment, processing, as her fingers stroke lightly across Piper's slowly drying skin. She knows it's a bad idea. She shouldn't get involved with the man she's supposed to be correcting's girlfriend (should never have let it get _this_ far). But Piper's gazing at her with those infuriatingly blue eyes and she can't quite bring herself to care about Eckhardt's feelings on the matter. Especially if he's too stupid to see what he's got in front of him (if the blonde's recent admission is anything to go by).

She places another slow kiss against Piper's waiting lips, pulling back with a slight tug against her lower one before murmuring, "_okay._"

.

Piper stays over more often than not.

Alex had woken up to an empty bed after that first night and had assumed that was that. Until she found the blonde curled against one of the recliners on her deck under the warm mid-morning sunlight with one of Alex's old books splayed open across her lap. She'd stood silently in the doorway, watching her for a moment before Piper spoke, asking her if she was going to stand there watching her like a creep all day. And Alex had laughed, quietly admitted she hadn't expected to find the blonde still there and was kind of glad she _did_. Piper smiles gently. And they spend the greater portion of the morning rediscovering each other in the light of day.

She slips out a little after noon, promises to see Alex later, and leaves her to the rest of her day.

She tries to focus on her work; exchanges a couple emails with Kubra, goes over a handful of plans for Fahri, looks over a collection of spreadsheets she'd gotten from Eckhardt. But her mind keeps drifting to the blonde between the lulls.

And Alex tries not to think about just how deeply the blonde has effected her.

.

Piper sits in on the meetings, Alex begins to notice, as they grow more and more important the blonde's presence becomes an increasingly familiar sight.

They're a couple weeks into their... _whatever it is_... sitting quietly under the setting sun on her deck when she finally broaches the subject.

Piper turns to her with a quiet surprise when she asks, as if somehow shocked that Alex had noticed. "I just like being near you..." she murmurs, and Alex purses her lips, unconvinced.

"_Really_."

Piper's gaze flicks from it's study of the ocean before them to Alex's own gently pressing one before letting out a sigh. Slowly she begins to admit the story to Alex. The _entire_ story. And suddenly the pieces Alex feels like she's been missing fall seamlessly into place. Piper tells her how she's been with Eckhardt since the beginning. How the whole business had been accidental sort of luck. She quietly tells Alex about how they'd been a bunch of stupid kids, fresh out of college and eager to conquer the world, how Eckhardt had had no idea what he was doing, how she'd helped as best she could with what little she'd learned from her business classes in college. She tells her how easy it was for Eckhardt to convince himself that the transition from buyer to seller would work.

They'd taken a gamble, bought into a high stakes game they didn't fully understand and by some miracle had come out on top for it. She tells Alex how she'd tried to talk Eckhardt out of it when her boss had approached with a partnership proposition. She'd told him they shouldn't get greedy, they were doing well enough on their own, shouldn't push the envelope any further when they were barely managing to keep their heads above water as it was.

Things had gotten shaky after Eckhardt agreed. Their carefully balanced kingdom suddenly collapsing under the new-found pressures and weight.

"Eckhardt doesn't know how bad it _is,_" Piper finishes quietly, "but it _is_ bad, isn't it? Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

And Alex lets out a quiet sigh before promising she'll do whatever's in her power to fix this.

Piper's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.

.

As happy as Piper is to be within a pool, Alex notices she's twice as when it comes to walking along a beach.

Often spending the time she _isn't_ devoting to Alex's bed upon the expanse of her deck, face turned high against the warm salty breeze of the ocean, as Alex exchanges various emails and spreadsheets with "the boys back home".

They've taken to long quiet walks down the stretch of sand outside Alex's back doors, under the fading light of the setting sun.

"I love it here," Piper murmurs quietly one night after Alex makes an offhand comment about missing the _real_ tropics. There's a faraway look in her eye as she gazes out over the rolling water. The pinks of the setting sun blending with the pinks of her cheeks and Alex watches with rapt admiration as the changing shadows and colors dance across her sun-kissed skin. She's silent a moment, before she says, "It's the only place that's _mine_. _I_ chose to be here. I chose my _life_ here. I built something for _myself_ here. And for that reason it will _always_ be beautiful to me. Even if the beaches wash away, and sunsets fade to nothing. My heart will always belong here."

There's a soft smile on her lips as she turns her face from the warmth of the low sun to Alex's, holding her gaze with gentle admiration before tangling her fingers against Alex's own and tugging her gently along the beach once more.

Alex Vause has never been in love, but she suddenly finds herself thinking it must be devastatingly _easy_ to fall for Piper Chapman.

.

Eventually Alex asks her how a girl like her wound up in a world like this.

And Piper quietly tells her about her family.

She tells her about the way she was raised and how she'd been engaged to the man of her parents' dreams. She tells her about how she'd graduated college and come down to Florida for one final spring break before settling into the life that had been so carefully planned out for her. She tells her how she'd fallen in love with the fires that dance across the skies every night, and the beaches that she'd slowly sink into as she watched the setting sun disappear below the horizon, and the advancing ocean ate gradually away at the sand beneath her feet.

And Alex listens as Piper Chapman tells the story of how she'd finally found the courage to live life for _herself_.

The sand isn't quite so rough as they walk silently along the beach later that night. The breeze isn't quite so sharp as the warmth of the departed sun gradually seeps out of the cooling air around them. This place isn't quite as uncomfortable as it had been when Alex had first arrived.

She's not entirely sure when it'd changed, but she has a pretty good idea.

.

Alex often finds Piper gently tracing a finger along the lines of her various tattoos in the stillness of the early dawn.

When the curtains dance with a gentle breeze, and the sheets lay cool and light atop their naked skin, before the sweltering heat of day can begin to kick in.

Most of her attention is spent on the roses, fingernails tenderly mapping along their outline as her sapphire gaze follows, still heavy with sleep. She never asks what any of them mean, and Alex kind of likes it that way.

Eventually her mouth will join her fingers in their exploration, licking a slow path along the back of Alex's shoulder blade, as if hoping to find a taste of the spilling salt tumbling down her back. Her legs will spread as she lifts herself across Alex's naked back, and a low rumble will finally fall from Alex's lips as she grinds her heated wetness against against the older woman's backside.

Her lips will move from the tattoo, attaching themselves to Alex's neck as she nurses gently at her pulse. And Alex's palm will finally begin it's trail up her naked thigh, rising as far as it can in their position, pressing Piper's warm skin against her own, as Piper's nipples tighten lazily against her back.

Eventually they'll roll over, capturing one another's lips as the room grows warm under the rising sun, the thick Floridian heat of the day, and their heady lovemaking. And when Piper trails her tongue over that salt shaker on Alex's shoulder as they slowly untangle from one another to begin their day, she'll taste the salt of Alex's exertions and smile.

.

For every ounce of Piper's carefully guarded innocence, there's just the right balance of dangerousness.

Alex learns this the night she attends a particularly heavy meeting inside Eckhardt's home.

They're discussing a collection of rivals dipping in on a pocket of their regular customers and someone mentions handling things the old fashioned way. Alex's brow furrows as they introduce her to their overwhelming collection of firearms. She puts a quick end to it, telling them there are more effective ways to reign in wandering customers. Ways that don't involve bringing anymore heat upon them than is already present.

They conclude several hours later with a subtler battle plan, and she's somewhat surprised when Piper shows up outside her door later with a case housing several firearms. She notices Alex's uneasy look and quietly tells her that just because they're taking the high road doesn't mean their competitors are. And she reminds her with a gentle hand against her cheek and a light peck upon her lips that being Eckhardt's girlfriend is always going to mean carrying a target upon her back.

Alex tries not to focus on the flippant _ease_ with which she comments on the danger.

As if it's just another consequence of life.

Alex has never been overly fond of weapons (preferring instead to rely on her wit and charm, fighting her battles through gentle manipulation and carefully chosen words) but Piper handles them with a fluid ease. Dissembling and reassembling them in the low lights of the bedroom as Alex types out a progress update for Kubra, her gaze flicking from the screen of her laptop to Piper's mesmerizing fingers in their dance across the cool metal of the weapons.

She finishes the email, tapping send and shutting the laptop as she crawls across the bed towards the quiet blonde. Piper raises the reassembled weapon to her eye, carefully inspecting it before flipping the base towards Alex.

"I want you to keep this one," she murmurs, and Alex begins to protest, "I'm serious, Alex. I know you don't have much use for them where you come from, but things are different here. This isn't a gentleman's game. This is the jungle. And it's kill or be killed if you wanna get to the top. I want you to be able to protect yourself if any of Eckhardt's enemies should come calling."

She studies the blonde's hard expression for a moment before sighing and sliding the gun from her patiently waiting grasp.

"Thank you," Piper murmurs, pressing her lips into Alex's own before leaning back to clear the rest of the mess away. She gathers her collection, packing them back into her case and moving it to the desk by the doorway as Alex studies the cool metal of the weapon she'd left her with. Sliding open the drawer of the nightstand beside her, she delicately settles it inside before easing the drawer closed once more. Piper's sliding back onto the bed when she turns back around, and she snuggles into Alex's open arms with practiced ease.

They sit like that for a moment, quietly listening to the heartbeats thrumming through one another's bodies before Piper rises to press a kiss against Alex's lips.

She fucks Piper a little harder that night. Holds her a littler tighter. Loves her a little more.

She tries not think about her growing disenchantment with a world she used to feel so comfortable in.

.

Their souls become a little further entwined as time stretches on around them.

In the evenings they walk along the beach, pausing to admire the slow setting sun and the fire it paints in the sky.

Piper leans into Alex as she hooks her chin over the blonde's shoulder, an arm sliding around her waist to draw their bodies closer. A cigarette hangs loosely between Piper's lips and she takes a breath, pulling it away with the smoke curling from her mouth to hold it up to Alex's own. She steadies the blonde's hand with a light grip around her wrist and takes a long slow pull of the tobacco.

They've been slowly trying to ween Piper off the cocaine.

It wasn't a deep addiction, but it's enough to leave her shivering and sweaty for a long handful of nights.

Their evening walks had become a little more important, as the gentle roar of the waves and the soft sand of the beach seem to anchor the blonde in a way nothing else has yet to. The cigarettes help too. Though Alex sometimes wonders how helpful it _is_ to ween her off one harmful addiction by shifting it onto another. She decides she'll worry about that later though, content for now to focus on one battle at a time.

They don't quite manage to walk as far anymore, even though Piper softly insists she's more than capable.

Alex always tells her it's for her _own_ benefit that they turn around, and grins gently as Piper rolls her eyes at her _"I'm not as young as I used to be"_ excuse.

"Because you've aged _so much_ since we made the journey last month," she mutters petulantly as they turn around and begin their trek back.

She never stays mad for long though.

And Alex can never quite fight the warmness that curls through her chest as they climb the stairs to her deck, Piper's head laying heavily across her shoulders as she supports her tired weight into the house.

.

Eventually Alex begins to lose patience with Eckhardt and the business and the lack of unease anyone other than Piper seems to posses.

They're in the club, another tense meeting, and she hasn't seen Piper for several days (she'd slipped from Alex's bed half a week ago murmuring something about having to spend a few days around Eckhardt's place for reasons not fully explained). They'd been at it for close to six hours (all of them biting back tired sighs and yawns) when one of the men makes a teasing comment about Eckhardt's stamina, who then makes a particularly crude comment about Piper, much to the amusement of his buddies.

"Don't talk about her like that," Alex murmurs quietly, threateningly, "she's the only reason your entire fucking operation isn't six feet deep right now."

The group falls silent, torn between chastisement and quiet shock.

"Fuck, Vause," Eckhardt laughs, and there's a subtle steel-like edge to it, "keep talking like that and I might start to think you're trying to fuck my girlfriend."

She wants to say she doesn't need to try. She wants to say she already _is_. She wants to say a lot of things, but Kubra had sent her here for a reason and she's already so fucking far out of her boundaries if she were to botch the operation now he'd surely have her head. Instead she smirks, takes a sip of her drink, tells him he should be more appreciative of the women who keep his sorry ass alive, and tries to enjoy the way the rest of the men heckle him good naturedly about being _whipped_. They're still ribbing one another when she leaves.

She sinks into bed with a lingering air of annoyance, tossing and turning and only managing to scratch the edge of sleep as she lingered in that halfway state that only ever leaves you feeling _more_ tired when you awaken again. She vaguely notes a warm presence at her back halfway through the night, just before she finally manages to fall into a proper sleep.

When she cracks her eyes open against the streaks of sunlight the following morning Piper's blonde head is tucked against her shoulder.

And she lets out a quiet sigh as she tugs the blonde a little further against herself.

She doesn't admit aloud to either of them how much she'd missed her.

But she's pretty sure Piper gets the idea when she wakes her up with a long slow bout of lovemaking.

.

Alex takes Piper dancing in Miami, away from the prying eyes of the cartel and the identities they wear while around them.

It's in the sweaty bodies of the clubs that she'll catch glimpses of the real Piper Chapman; the carefree spirit who she might have once attempted to lure into the lucrative business herself. She likes to think she wouldn't though. She recognizes the beauty for what it's worth, untainted and pure, and silently scorns the man who'd enticed the young girl into this world in the first place. Though another part of her rejoices it as Piper turns her back to her, meeting her gaze over her shoulder as their bodies move in unison amid the mass of sweat and strangers.

They enjoy teasing each other in every aspect of their relationship, but when they're lost in the haze of the clubs and anonymity there's a different shade to it. Playful, and carefree, Piper will smile as she pulls her mouth just out of reach every time Alex attempts to get closer. And Alex can't quite bring herself to feel anything other than giddy happiness over it.

They dance until Piper's feet can no longer support her. Until she grabs Alex's hand and drags her off the dance floor towards the private booths of the VIP lounge to regain their breath and come as close as they can to publicly fucking one another without becoming illegally explicit. Until Piper ends up straddled across Alex's lap and they can't push each other any further and their attentions turn to the next activity.

Alex had never much cared for getting high (not since high school, when she'd occasionally light up and share a spliff with a couple of the burnouts under the bleachers to pass the time before the final bell rang) but there's something about sucking a lung-full of smoke from Piper's grinning lips that she finds positively _addicting_.

"_People never die in Miami_," Piper whispers, before drawing a long slow lung full of smoke and angling her open mouth next to Alex's. Smoke coils past her teeth, caressing her lips as it leaves her mouth, before tumbling into Alex's, "_that's what they all say._"

And she sinks further and further into a hazy world of dulled senses and heightened emotion as Piper moves slowly atop her lap.

.

Eventually Alex realizes that they're not getting out of this alive.

The empire Kubra had sent her to save was crumbling to dust around them, and now was the time he expected her to put an end to it, quickly and cleanly. Three months ago she'd been more than eager to do just that; put a bullet in the brain of this whole sordid ordeal and fly happily back to _real_ beaches and _real_ sunsets and _real_ paradise. But that was before she'd met Piper Chapman. Before her idea of paradise was blonde hair and blue eyes and gentle temptation.

Piper can sense it coming too, but somewhere along the line they'd stopped caring.

They lie in bed at night watching the quiet storms move across the ocean, creeping closer and closer as they bury themselves in one another's skin and hide their faces from the lightning flashes and rolling thunder. They're the captains of a sinking ship but they can't help but notice how freeing it all feels, in the darkness of the bedroom, under the gentle patter of the rain, tucked against one another's warm skin, to finally let it all go.

Kubra will be angry. But he'll get over it. His_ important_ ventures all well out of reach, he'd all but admitted _himself_ that this was nothing more than a sort of hobby to pass the time. She's fairly certain _she'll_ be his biggest loss, but as long as she doesn't turn over anything important when the time for reduced sentencing comes he won't waste the time or energy on punishing her for her failure (consider prison to be punishment enough).

And truthfully, she's not entirely sure anymore that he'd expected her to save this failing venture at all.

The thought makes her feel a little less guilty as Piper's fingers tangle with her own and the thunder cracks heavily around them.

.

They're ready for it when it happens.

They'd long since given up trying to save the crumbling ruins and had turned their attentions to how to escape as unscathed as possible.

In the end it's not a rival gang that does them in, it's a DEA officer who's been silently on their trail since around the time Alex arrived to "fix" things. They learn of his encroaching investigation a week before it happens and Alex arranges a meeting, quietly offering him full cooperation for as much lenience as he can provide for her and the blonde. He tells them there will still be consequences, that there's no way they can realistically come out of this without prison time (though they'd never expected otherwise, they'd learned a long time ago the dangers of being unrealistic), but with their cooperation in the coming week he promises to get them as much reduced sentencing as he can.

That's how they find themselves in Eckhardt's house among a slew of screaming officers several days later. Eckhardt seems to know immediately what's happened the moment he's fitted with cuffs (Alex can't quite help but allow him some credit for figuring it out, though she also can't help the smirk that crosses her lips at the thought of "too little too late" as he's lead from the house screaming about "those fucking unfaithful whores").

Alex is held back as the men are escorted out, quickly giving a rundown to the agent of where every weapon and kilo is stashed before being fitted with her own pair of handcuffs and being lead from the house.

There's an officer at her elbow, leading her from the scene, and another swings out holding Piper in a similar manner. They catch each other's eye and a slow contented grin works it's way across Piper's lips. Ducking their heads they go willingly, until the cops bring them as close to one another as they're going to get. Sensing their opportunity, they lean forward, both at once, and catch one another's lips in a final searing kiss. By some miracle the policemen allow it for several fleeting seconds, before pulling them away with a flat "alright, that's enough."

Alex is grinning as they lower her into the back of the cruiser, Piper's shining blue eyes lingering in her memory, the brilliant smile she'd been wearing as their mouths pulled away...

They'd see each other again soon enough.

_"Prison isn't nothing to me if you'll be by my side..."_


	22. Chapter 22

because who doesn't love a good summer courtship story...  
>(more extensive notes at the bottom)<p>

* * *

><p>It's more of a <em>guilt<em> trip than a vacation.

Or at least that's what Piper Chapman would tell you if you were to ask her what made her join her family for their semi-annual summer trip to the coast.

She heaves a heavy sigh, the first of many she's sure, as the house rolls into view and their car slows to a gradual halt atop the driveway.

It was a beach house belonging to her grandparents; who no longer used it in their climbing age unless one of their children packed up the family for an extensive summer trip. Her memory is spotted with various summers spent at the large house, though none of them she's particularly fond of. Piper Chapman has always preferred to spend summer in her own town. At her own home. With her own friends. In fact she'd intended to do so _this_ summer before her mother's quietly disapproving nagging had finally put an end to such plans.

She'd had plans to spend the summer with Polly, renting their _own_ house on _another_ beach and wasting the summer away chasing hot surfer boys and perfect tans.

Until her mother had told her they wouldn't be supporting her in such an endeavor. Not when they're going to a _perfectly fine_ beach already. Not when they hardly see Piper enough as it is. They tell her to invite Polly but the prospect of a summer with Piper's family in a stuffy town full of old people isn't as appealing as their initial plan, and she tells Piper she's sorry as she finishes packing her bags and drops her off at her house before heading off for a summer of hot bodies and what Piper is sure are going to be _great memories_ with the rest of their friends.

Piper can't really blame her.

.

It takes her a week to get sick of the beach.

And on their second Tuesday into the vacation she tells Cal to give her a rain check on that part of their routine for the day.

She spends the first half of her morning wandering from room to room of the house, occasionally attempting to continue the book she'd halfheartedly started earlier in the week, before her mother finally tells her she's making everyone depressed with her moping and to go out and do something productive with her day. With a indignant huff she finally slips from the confines of the house. Coming across an old, but gently used bicycle she disinterestedly decides that she might as well explore the rest of the sleepy town.

She's only been riding for thirty minutes when she decides to stop for lunch, lazily circling a stretch of road adorned with various shops and restaurants before finally landing on a small diner. Something about the nondescript building calls to her amid the otherwise flashy collection of architecture, and she pauses outside the door, her eyes lingering on an old cherry red Mustang shining under the heat of the sun in the parking lot as she locks her bike to the bike stand.

A stale wave of recycled air conditioning and the enticing aroma of greasy food hits her when she pushes the doors open and she suddenly realizes how much of a sweat and appetite she's worked up in her explorations. There's a older feeling to the place, a sort of small town warmness, and Piper finds herself quietly captivated with the subtle charm of it all.

Surmising it to be a _seat yourself_ kind of deal, she slowly ambles around the small room, eventually settling in a booth tucked away towards the far left. It doesn't take long for an older woman to approach her, an infectious grin alighting her face as she greets Piper warmly and asks if she can get her anything.

"I don't know, this is my first time here, everything looks so good... what would you recommend?" Piper asks, gaze trailing over the menu in deep thought before moving to meet the woman's.

She gives a warm and husky chuckle, tucking her pen behind her ear as she begins listing off a few of her favorite items before Piper tells her the breakfast platter sounds good.

"Comin' right up." The woman grins, taking Piper's menu and departing with a wink.

She's left alone to her thoughts once more as the woman retreats to the kitchen to relay her order, and Piper's attention turns towards the wall length window at her right. Watching the cars drift by on the quiet streets, she's lost within her thoughts when a new voice breaks her concentrations.

"Hey you. _Malibu Barbie_."

Her attentions turn from the window, sweeping across the diner before landing on a girl no more than a few years older than herself who stood leaning against the bar, watching her intently. "_Me_?" Piper asks after a moment of delay.

A warm chuckle slips from the girl's lungs as she continues to gaze at Piper in amusement. "No, the other blonde-haired, blue-eyed beach body in here," she retorts sarcastically, and laughs again when Piper's eyes do a quick sweep of the nearly empty diner, "yes, _you_, Blondie."

Piper fidgets in her seat for a moment, somewhat anxious under the girl's penetrating gaze, "what?"

"I _said_ what's a girl like you doin' in a place like this? No offense but this isn't exactly high class dining."

"Why would that offend me?" Piper asks and the girl rolls her eyes as if she'd missed the entire point.

"You're not from around here are you?"

"Are most of the people who come here?"

Bobbing her head with another quiet laugh, the girl pushes away from the bar, approaching Piper's table at a slow gait, "most of the people who come to _this particular diner_ are. But that's not what I meant. Most of the families who visit this town are on some sort of yearly circuit," her voice is low as she leans casually into the seat across from Piper, still studying her intently, "and I know I've never seen your face around here before. I'd have remembered it."

She can feel a faint blush tinging her cheeks, and Piper ducks her head, unable to suppress the smile the blooms slowly at the realization of the girl's implication, "are you hitting on me?" She asks softly, gaze flicking back up to lock with the girl's.

And a slow satisfied smile stretches across the girl's own lips as she replies, "_maybe_."

"Who _are_ you?" Piper asks softly, peering at the girl with a fascinated interest.

And she laughs quietly with a lopsided smirk, "my name is Alex."

"And what do you do, Alex? Besides harass strangers in diners."

And a slight shiver runs down her spine when Alex husks out another soft laugh.

"Al, you're late," someone growls halfheartedly from behind her, and Piper's attention wavers from the girl before her to the waitress who now stood holding her food.

"Relax, mom, I clocked in ten minutes ago," Alex says with a grin, eyes still locked on Piper's.

"And yet I see all these tables that need busing," the older woman chides sliding Piper's plates onto the table and slapping gently at the back of the girl's brunette head, "up! C'mon now, they don't pay ya to sit around harassin' the customers."

Ducking quickly from her mother's gentle onslaught, Alex's gaze returns to Piper's once more as she slides away from the booth and begins a slow amble backwards towards the kitchens.

"Catch ya around," Alex's eyes flash with amused sort of keenness.

"Bye, Alex..." Piper calls softly after her. Her gaze returns to the woman beside her as Alex disappears from view and she catches sight of a rather knowing look adorning the older woman's features before blushing and lowering her attention to the food before her. "Thanks," Piper mumbles with a small smile.

"Mmhm," The woman murmurs with a shake of her head and growing grin, turning to follow her daughter into the kitchens.

.

Lunch at the diner begins to become somewhat of a habit.

It's never hard for Piper to find an excuse to slip away for an hour or so and visit the small restaurant. Her family's more than content to leave her to her whims now that she's no longer moping around like a lingering, depressing storm cloud.

Alex is there when she visits, more often than not, and while they rarely find the chance to speak to one another again, Piper can feel her gaze on her as she ambles from table to table, slowly clearing the various messes from their tops. Mostly they play a game of back and forth, a weird sort of visual tag in which they take turns observing one another silently before ducking their heads or redirecting their gaze. Every once in awhile though their gazes will meet, and Alex will toss her a quick wink and slow grin, and Piper will duck her head with a timid smile and wild blush.

She's been visiting the diner for somewhere within two weeks when her mother insists she take Cal with her for the day.

She tries to protest at first, insisting that she's not really doing anything special and that her brother would surely be much happier sitting on the beach, but it seems they've _both_ inherited the Chapman quiet discontentment with the ocean and he happily tells her he'd love to explore the town with her for the day. She can't quite hold too much of a grudge when he fixes her with that beaming smile she's always had a sort of weakness for, and she bites back a tired smirk when she tells him to grab another bike from the garage and come on.

They've only been there for ten minutes when Diane approaches with her familiar smile, asking Piper what she can get her today. She distractedly murmurs out her order, eyes trailing the confines of the diner absently as Cal relays his order. Tucking her pen away with a quiet smirk, Diane murmurs casually, "looking for someone?"

Piper's eyes snap back to her own with a faint blush, somewhat embarrassed at her apparent lack discretion, "I, um..."

"Al's off today," she supplies with a knowing grin and bites back a soft chuckle when the blonde deflates slightly at the news, "but she might drop by later to say hello. You should stick around."

Piper watches her depart with a familiar wink, a warm tightening in her chest at the thought of possibly seeing Alex later.

"Who's Al?" Cal asks with a smirk from the other end of the booth and Piper nearly jumps, almost having forgotten she's not alone today.

"No one, just... someone who works here."

"Hmm," Cal hums with a smile before turning his attention to the window and leaving his sister to her secrets.

They're midway through their meals, in the midst of an easy conversation that's got Piper fighting off a wave of giggles when a familiar red Mustang roars into the parking lot and Cal's attention drifts from their sharing of memories to the striking car.

"Holy shit." He murmurs, eyes fixed on the window and the sight before him while Piper reigns in her quiet laughter, attention focused on chasing a pool of syrup around her plate with what's left of her toast.

The bell above the door jingles and Cal's attention slowly returns to Piper as he begins ribbing her once more over a particularly embarrassing memory.

"Shut up!" She laughs indignantly, flicking a piece of now soggy bread at the boy.

"Hey," a voice from across the room interrupts and Piper's gaze breaks from her brother to the familiar green eyes watching her from the bar, "just because I'm not here to clean up after you today doesn't mean you can suddenly become some sort of mess making barbarian." Alex eyes the sticky wad of bread clinging to the seat beside Cal as she approaches, fixing Piper with her familiar grin.

"Alex..." Piper breathes, eyes alighting as she sits a little straighter, "I thought you'd _prefer_ I make the mess when you're _not_ here to clean it up."

Alex hums out a quiet laugh, coming to stand at the edge of their table as she replies, "while that is normally very true, people have taken notice of where your intentions in this fine establishment lie, and you've become something of _my_ responsibility. So any mess you make in my absence will just be left for my return and I'm really not looking forward to picking two day old toast and syrup from the upholstery." Her slender fingers pluck the discarded piece of toast from Cal's bench, eyeing it thoughtfully for a moment before popping it into her mouth.

They fall silent, lost in one another's gazes before Cal asks, "is that your car?"

Alex's attention darts from Piper to the boy before her, then to the red Mustang sitting proudly in the parking lot, "Mmhm."

"Wow..." he breathes, attention once again fixed on the classic car, "what year is it?"

"'69," she grins, winking at Piper with a knowing smirk and a jump of her brow, causing the blonde's face to flush a familiar shade of crimson.

"Alex," Piper clears her throat, eyes darting to her empty plate as she collects herself before returning to the brunette's, "this is Cal, my little brother. Cal this is Alex."

"What up?" Cal asks with a smile, attention still drifting from Alex to her car.

"Y'know, it's funny," Alex murmurs, leaning back with a feigned air of offense, "you introduce me to your brother and yet you've still not formally introduced_ yourself_. I feel like I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here, you knowing my name and all. I mean I've been patiently waiting for you do the polite thing here, but... you seem to be enjoying your weird air of mystery."

"Oh my god," Piper gasps, "Piper! My name is Piper. Piper Chapman." Alex laughs quietly, pulling skin of her bottom lip between her teeth as she watches Piper thoughtfully, "wait a minute. Your mom- I've told your mom my name? Why didn't you just as her."

And for the first time since they've started their strange endeavor, a faint blush tinges _Alex's_ cheeks, and Piper leans forward in rapt fascination, "My _mother_," Alex begins with a fond tone of annoyance, "will not _tell me_ your name. She insists I 'woman up' and ask you _myself_."

"Well..." Piper drawls, a slow smile unfurling across the length of her face, "now I feel like I should have made you work a little harder for it."

"Mmm," Alex hums teasingly, "you shouldn't be so freewheeling with your assets, Chapman. People take advantage."

"You're right... we wouldn't want that..."

A soft chuckle interrupts their quiet staring contest as Cal clears his throat with a smile. Piper once again having forgotten she's not alone today, jumps back with another blush and Alex laughs openly.

Her eyes dart towards the bar behind her before returning to the table, "hey... are you gonna be here for a few minutes?" she murmurs softly.

Piper shifts her gaze from Alex's to Cal's before shrugging lightly, "we're not really in a rush to be anywhere."

"Cool," Alex grins, "um... gimme a minute."

She disappears from view, slipping through the double doors of the kitchen in search of her mother, Piper assumes.

"_Wow_." Cal teases gently.

"What?" Piper bristles, gaze turning from the doors to her brother once more.

"I can see why you've been spending all your time at a shitty little diner now."

"Shut up." Piper murmurs, then an afterthought, "don't tell mom."

Cal lets out a hearty laugh, fixing Piper with that smile she's always had a weakness for, "please sis, your dirty little secret's safe with me."

"Cal!" Piper squeals, not quite able to hide her smile.

"She's cute," he says casually, eyes flicking back to the window beside them, "she's got a nice car."

"I know." Piper grins. He doesn't ask her which statement she's agreeing to.

Alex returns several minutes later, keys dangling from her fingers as she approaches their table once more, "you wouldn't be interested in going for a ride, would you?"

"Um, yes!" Cal excitedly calls before Piper can formulate an answer, let alone sort through the implications of the offer.

"Great," Alex grins, eyes lingering on Piper, "let's go."

.

Alex drives them leisurely through the little town.

Murmuring random stories or explanations every now and then about the various places they pass before the small roads give way to open highway and the ocean breaks into view before them, stretching wide into oblivion.

Cal's attentions dance from the sights around them eagerly, as he softly mutters about not being able to wait to tell his friends that he rode in a '69 Mustang. Piper's attentions, for the most part, stay fixed on Alex. They talk in quiet murmurs, not quite holding full conversations as Alex's attention drifts between the highway before her and the blonde beside her.

They spend the better part of the afternoon riding around, Alex telling them all the best places to hit before summer's over. Eventually she pulls up to a long stretch of unpaved road, carefully directing her car onto the small path and winding them further and further from the main road until they're face to face with a large stretch of unoccupied beach.

"_Woah_." Cal murmurs, eyeing the quiet slice of paradise. A collection of hollowed out rocks sits to their left, intermingling with a wall of larger sand dunes and various chunks of native foliage, hiding the stretch of land from view and creating an otherwise perfect getaway.

"Alright kid, I'm trusting you here, okay." Alex says, fixing him with a heavy gaze through the rear-view mirror, "this is a secret spot, locals only. If you tell _anyone_ about this place... I'm gonna have to kill you."

"Scout's honor," Cal grins, throwing open his door and heading towards the warm sand.

Alex's attention turns to Piper as she watches her brother take off towards the rolling waves, "that goes for you too, Blondie. I don't wanna have to kill you. I'm kinda starting to like you."

"Scout's honor," Piper repeats solemnly, biting back a laugh.

"Mmhm," Alex murmurs, twisting her lips in teasing annoyance, "I'm having a hard time believing _you_ were ever a scout."

"I _was_." Piper replies seriously, opening her door and preparing to hoist herself out of the car, "Troop #63800, three whole years. So. I don't appreciate the accusation, Ms. Vause."

Alex lets out a bark of laughter as Piper closes the door with the end of her sentence, turning towards the ocean and not waiting for the brunette to catch up with her.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, I never told you my last name... how do you know it's Vause?" She calls, jogging to catch up with the blonde.

"Your mom told me," Piper grins and Alex scoffs disbelievingly.

"Withholding information from her own daughter, but so forthcoming with personal information the moment a stalker-y stranger asks. Unbelievable."

"She must like me more than you," Piper replies with an casual shrug as they make their way towards Cal.

"Well. I can hardly blame her." Alex murmurs, biting back another grin as their eyes meet once more.

They kick around the sand for awhile, before Cal laments their lack of towels and preparation, eyeing the rolling waves dishearteningly. Alex excuses herself, jogging back to her car and returning with an armful of assortments. Cal's eyes alight at the sight of various towels and sunblock as Alex grins and mutters something about second-nature habits when you grow up in a town along the beach.

Piper helps him lather up with sunblock and laughs amusedly as he takes off wildly for the water. Her attentions returning to Alex as she pulls her tight fitting t-shirt over her head, Piper nearly drops the bottle of sunblock in her shock. The shirt peels away to reveal a taut stomach and enticing hips and Piper's gaze lingers as her chest is revealed, encased in a snug black bikini top.

"You okay there, Chapman?" Alex teases, breaking the spell as Piper gathers herself and sucks in a deep lung-full of air.

"Yeah. Yes. Fine. Are you- do you want me to... ?" She falters, holding the sunblock out lamely, as she attempts to keep her gaze on Alex's face.

"Could you?" She asks sweetly.

She tries to steady her breathing as she slowly works the white paste into Alex's pale skin. Tries not to let her fingers linger too long in certain areas. Like the firm curves of Alex's biceps. Or the dip just before her back meets her ass. Not that Alex seems to mind when they _do_. Finally pulling herself away with a soft sigh, she's taken aback when Alex turns her around, fingers playing at the hem of her shirt as she hooks her chin over the curve of Piper's shoulder.

"You _were_ planning on getting in too, right?" Her voice is low and husky in Piper's ear and she barely suppresses a moan (doesn't manage to catch the shudder), as she nods slowly, her cheek brushing lightly against Alex's. "You're gonna need to take this off then," Alex's fingers tug teasingly against the hem of her shirt before she raises her own arms to pull the soft material over her head. Alex's eyes sweep over the expanse of her skin much like her own had done when their roles were reversed and Piper finds herself fighting a blush deeper than any before.

Alex's hands are gentle on her skin, rubbing a small amount of lotion lightly across her back and arms before retreating to brush her palms together in an attempt to rid the last clinging remains of the goo from her hands.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

They stay at the beach until the sun hangs low in the sky, finally pulling themselves from the water to allow some time to dry before climbing back into Alex's car and heading back home. Cal convinces them to stop for ice cream along the way when they swing past the diner to pick up their forgotten bikes (though it doesn't take much to persuade either of them into prolonging their time together, none of them seem all to eager for the day to end), and they sit outside the local creamery laughing quietly and teasing one another gently.

The sun has finally set by the time they pull into the Chapman house, and Cal leaps out with an abundant amount of thank yous and compliments which Alex laughs off, waving him away with an easy goodbye and fond grin. Piper, however, lingers as they both watch the boy bound up the front stairs and burst into the large house.

"He had fun today," she murmurs softly, gaze lingering on the now closed door before turning to meet Alex's, "_I_ had fun today."

"Me too," she murmurs softly was a gentle smile.

"Can I-" Piper begins, before faltering and biting her lower lip.

"What?" Alex prompts gently.

"Can I see you again sometime? Like... outside of the diner..."

Her eyes shine with a tender apprehension and Alex gets lost in the blue pools for a moment, absently noting it's the same shade as the sky on a perfect day, "I work till five tomorrow. But my best friend's throwing a party after, and I kinda got make an appearance... if you're, um... interested... we can check it out and do something else after if it's no good..."

Her voice trails off with it's own lilt of timid apprehension and she lets out a quiet breath as Piper's eyes brighten even more. "I'm_ interested_," she whispers, holding Alex's gaze for what feels like an eternity before sliding slowly from the car.

She shuts the door softly, leaning into the open window to fix Alex with one final look, "goodnight, Alex."

"Goodnight, Piper," Alex murmurs, watching as the blonde slowly begins walking backwards towards the house, refusing to break eye contact until the back of her heel connects with the bottom-most stair and she has to turn to pull herself up them.

And Alex tamps down a giddy grin as she starts her car and pulls away from the Chapman house for the night, eager with the thought of seeing Piper again tomorrow.

.

True to her word, Alex's red Mustang pulls into the Chapman driveway just before six the following night.

Piper's spent the better part of the day fretting over every little thought that crossed her mind; what to wear, what to say, what to bring, what if she'd misread the signs, what if Alex changed her mind and wasn't coming. She was halfway through her fifth mini meltdown before Cal appeared in her doorway, telling her to relax, that if their overt flirting from yesterday was anything to go by, Alex won't care if she shows up empty handed wearing a garbage bag. He gently assures her Alex is _absolutely_ coming and laughs quietly as she finally reigns her running emotions in. The rest of the day passes in a long tortuous stretch of time.

She's out the door nearly the moment Alex pulls up, calling a quick goodbye to Cal and reminding him to tell their parents she won't be back till later, before sliding excitedly into the waiting Mustang.

"Hey," She chirps breathlessly, causing Alex to laugh softly.

"Hey yourself," she grins, "ready to go?"

"Yes."

It doesn't take them long to reach their destination. Alex's friend (_Nicky_, she tells her) doesn't live too far from the house Piper's family owns, and when they pull up outside another large house (this one slighter more modern than the aging home of the Chapmans) she's filled with both a quiet ease and slight apprehension at the lingering familiarity of it all. Alex takes her hand though, gives her a small smile, and pulls her gently towards the thumping music and laughing voices.

It's a wild party.

That much Piper can see from the first four minutes spent weaving through the throngs of people.

Alex plucks two bottles of Smirnoff from a large ice bucket, all but overflowing with an assortment of various drinks, and twists them open quickly, passing one to Piper as she brings the other to her lips. Their fingers tangle again as she weaves them further and further into the house, eventually tugging her gently through an open set of back doors. And Piper pauses for a moment, eyes sweeping the large backyard and thrum of wild activity.

A small fire pit burns away towards the back corner, small groups of people huddled around it. Some are cooking hot dogs or s'mores, others watching the flames quietly as the lean their heads against warm bodies next to them. A brilliantly lit pool sits between the house and the fire pit and kids in various states of undress are tumbling in and out and around it, wild catcalls and splashes echoing into the night as Alex pulls her towards an outdoor bar at the far right edge of the yard.

"Nichols!" She barks over the noise of the crowd and the pulse of the music, temporarily letting go of Piper's hand to throw her arms wide as a wide grin explodes across her face upon noticing the captured attention of a wild-haired girl.

"Vause!" The girl bellows, throwing her own arms open and enveloping Alex in a fierce hug.

They pull away laughing, a few quick thumps left against one another's shoulders as they carry on a quiet conversation before turning their attentions to the blonde behind them.

"And who's _this_?" The wild-haired woman, _Nichols_, asks teasingly.

"This is Piper," Alex smirks, eyeing Piper fondly, "she's here for the summer."

"Ah, And you've taken it upon yourself to show her a good time, huh?"

"Something like that," Alex murmurs, gaze still locked with Piper's as she beckons the blonde forward, slinging a casual arm across her shoulders and pulling her in close.

"You dog," Nichols laughs, and Alex finally pulls her attention from the blonde, nodding towards the woman with a toss of her head.

"Pipes this is Nicky; my begrudging best friend. Nichols, this is Piper; the poor girl who's made the mistake of giving me her name and address this summer."

They share a laugh, Nicky extending her hand to give Piper's a quick shake. She pulls away with a knowing wink and budding grin, eyes lingering on Piper's as she murmurs, "Welcome to the family, kid." Her gaze turns to Alex as she says louder, "It's been so long since Alex has brought someone home, we were beginning to think she'd spend the rest of her life as a weird recluse; collecting cats and garbage to fill the void of human contact!"

"Shut the fuck up, Nichols." Alex chides with a laugh, nudging their shoulders together in a gentle shove, "any of the guys around?"

"Yeah, yeah, all the regulars. They're here somewhere, spread hopelessly throughout this mess a'people."

"I'll find 'em," Alex murmurs with a parting clap to Nicky's shoulder, once again pulling Piper behind her and into the crowd of bodies.

They wander aimlessly, Alex supplying Piper with a steady supply of drinks as they move from room to room, chatting with various friends of the brunette before she notices Piper lingering in the doorway of one of the darker rooms. Music pours loudly through the open doorway and Piper watches quietly as people dance deliriously against each other to the thumping beats.

"_Do you wanna dance?_" Alex murmurs, coming up behind her, and Piper shivers softly before turning with a gentle nod.

Taking a final pull from her drink, Alex sets the now empty bottle on an end table to her right before leading Piper into the low-lit room and pulling her gently against herself. It takes them a few moments to find their rhythm as they slowly ease into this new level of comfort, but once they do it's impossible to pull themselves apart. Piper's chest is pressed tightly against Alex's own and she vaguely notes that she couldn't look away from the blonde's captivating blue eyes if her life had depended on it.

At some point, her hands rise to land atop Piper's hips, slowly pulling her closer as their legs part, thighs sliding between the gaps as they draw closer and closer still. At some point it becomes more of an upright grinding rather than dancing. At some point a moan falls from Piper's lips and at _that_ point it's all Alex can do not to drop her lips to Piper's own, pulling their mouths together greedily. She resists for another three minutes before Piper's hands rise to cup her jaw, as she pulls their mouths together herself.

A quiet moan escapes her own lungs as Alex forgets about their previous activity, her body stilling as she buries herself deeper in Piper's eager mouth. Piper's hands are clutching at her jaw and shoulders, neck and back, as she desperately scrambles for any sort of purchase to draw the older girl closer still. They part with a soft huff, foreheads resting gently against one another as they lick their lips and struggle to regain control of themselves.

"_Wow..._" Piper eventually murmurs, and Alex laughs, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"_Yeah._" They hold one another closely for another few moments, all thoughts of the party falling away behind them as they gaze quietly into one another's eyes, until Alex finally pulls away, taking her hand once more, "c'mon," she murmurs, leading Piper from the party and out towards her car.

Closing the door after her, Alex tells Piper to wait a minute through the open window of the passenger seat as she darts quickly back towards the house, disappearing into the party for several moments, before reappearing, bounding down the stairs and back to the car.

"What was that about?"

"I had to grab something," Alex murmurs with a grin, throwing the car into reverse, "and I had to tell Nichols we were leaving or I'd literally _never_ hear the end of it."

They drive quietly for awhile, Piper playing absently with Alex's hand as it rests gently in the space between them.

"Where're we going?" She murmurs quietly, as if afraid to break the tender bubble they'd found themselves in.

Alex pulls her gaze from the road, watching the blonde for a moment before murmuring, "it's a surprise."

She takes her to another quiet alcove, this one on the opposite side of the town. A long stretch of land allowing a glimpse of both the bay and the ocean, rolling out before them from opposite sides of the large sand dunes that form a protective cover from any prying eyes. Alex takes her hand, as Piper kicks off her shoes, and they slowly begin to make their way to the top of the sandy mountains. Alex drops to her rump with a soft grunt once they're safely tucked away between the dunes, sighing with contentment at the sight before them. The moon shines lightly atop the rolling blackness of the tiding waves, and Piper settles gently beside her, leaning into her side with a quiet sigh.

They sit in silence for awhile, the night drawing on around them as they play with one another's fingers and squeeze gently at one another's wrists and thighs. Eventually Alex shifts, pulling something from her pocket and sticking it between her lips. Piper watches her with quiet interest as she turns, bobbing her eyebrows and grinning around the joint between her teeth.

"Seriously?" She laughs, "is that what you ran back inside to get?"

Plucking the joint from between her teeth, Alex leans forward dropping a quick kiss to Piper's lips before pulling away with a smile, "_yes_."

"Ugh, you're as bad as Cal." Piper murmurs, flopping onto her back with a not-quite-suppressed grin.

"Did I pick the wrong Chapman? Should I go pick him up instead?" Alex teases, turning to meet her eyes.

"No," Piper murmurs petulantly, hand rising of it's own accord to stroke through the gentle tangle of dark tresses hanging down Alex's back, "it's too late, you're stuck with _me_ now."

Alex studies her a moment longer before turning back, and Piper hears the faint scratch of a lighter before the thick smell of pot wafts heavily towards her on the breeze. Alex draws a deep lung-full, holding it a moment before slowly exhaling. Her hand stretches out, offering it to Piper, who takes it with delicate fingers.

She eyes it a moment, eyebrows drawing together in silent contemplation before raising her head to meet Alex's patient gaze, "okay... don't laugh."

A smile tugs at the edge of Alex's mouth as she leans closer to the blonde, "why would I laugh?"

"Because I am... _not_ good at this..." Piper murmurs, sticking the roll between her teeth and drawing a small lung-full of air before letting it out in a hack.

And Alex laughs.

They take turns passing the slowly dwindling joint back and forth, Alex gradually teaching Piper how to take a hit without hacking up a lung, until there's nothing more than a single puff left, which Alex draws deeply from the spent bud pinched tightly between her fingertips. They fall to their backs after that, eyes upon the stars as the ocean pulses quietly in the background and their fingers trace gentle patterns against each other's palms. Until Alex finally turns and draws Piper's face to her own once more.

They spend the next few hours trading languid kisses and gentle sighs as the night wanes on around them.

It's nearly dawn when Alex drops Piper back outside the Chapman home, and there's just enough pot left in her system to tug Alex's face forward for one final kiss goodnight, despite the fact that her family lay sleeping a mere yards away.

"Thank you," She murmurs gently against Alex's lips as they part.

And Alex tugs her back to her mouth once more with a hand at the base of her skull, "I'll see you tomorrow," she murmurs against Piper's gasping lips, finally allowing the younger girl to depart.

She watches until a light flicks on on the second floor, and Piper appears between the curtains with a gentle wave, groaning to herself as she backs out of the Chapmans driveway and finally heading home. She hadn't meant to spend the entire night smoking pot and kissing Piper Chapman, and she knows she's gonna hate herself when she crawls out of bed for work in five hours.

But the gentle self-loathing and looming reminder of work isn't enough to wipe the lazy grin that stays planted upon Alex Vause's lips the entire way home.

.

They fall into routine easy enough after that.

Piper learns Alex's schedule and takes to waiting for her against the hood of her car on the nights she works her later shifts.

Absently watching the sky changing colors overhead as the dusk slowly swirls into night, she exchanges a text or two with Polly as she waits for the sound of the door and the sight of Alex's tall frame ambling across the parking lot. She never has to wait long, Diane begrudgingly cutting Alex loose a bit early every time she catches sight of the young blonde leaning against her daughter's car through the window.

"Alright, go on, get outta here," she calls, cracking a towel after Alex as she carries the last of the dishes into the kitchen.

"Are you sure, mom, I don't mind washing them. I've still got fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you'd rather be out with your little girlfriend, and she's been sittin' out there givin' me the puppy eyes for the last twenty minutes, I can't take it anymore. Go on. go on! I'll finish ya shift."

Knowing it's pointless to argue with the older woman, Alex drops a quick kiss to her cheek as she works on untying the apron around her waist, "thanks mom, love you!"

"Yeah, I love you too, ya little snot. Tell Piper I said hi!"

Piper's head perks up at the sound of the doors and Alex lingers in the doorway for a moment, quietly taking in the sight before her. Piper's long legs are stretched over the nose of her car, boots just barely grazing the pavement as she reclines against her bent elbows across the hood. Alex bites her lip, ducking her head to hide the prominent grin she can feel stretching across her lips as she slowly makes her way towards the blonde.

And when Piper stretches up to meet Alex's lips with her own, Alex thinks Piper waiting against the hood of her car in the slowly gathering dusk is one of her favorite sights.

They pile in effortlessly, leaning in for another kiss as Alex turns the key, and exchange quiet stories about their day as she drives them towards whatever their intended destination is for the night. Some nights it's the local playground, and they swing aimlessly, knocking gently against one another's hips as they tease each other softly. Some nights it's the arcade, and Alex feeds the machines quarter after quarter as she pins Piper against every one and insists she teach her the _proper_ way to play each game. Some nights it's the stretch of beach she'd taken them and Cal to, or the castle of dunes they'd spent the night upon after Nicky's party and Alex quietly tells her about another place, a _better_ place, the _best_ place that Piper has yet to see ("It's even better than this. But you have to see it in at sunset. Otherwise it'll ruin the effect.")

Nicky ribs her good-naturedly when they go out with her and her girlfriend one night, walking quietly along the beach as Lorna and Piper chase ghost crabs up ahead, just out of earshot. And Alex finally admits with uncharacteristically gentle voice that they haven't slept together yet. But Nicky's got a knowing look in her eye as she watches her friend watching the blonde and she claps a gentle hand at her back, giving it a tender squeeze before turning her attention back to the girls before them, triumphantly holding up some sort of knickknack they'd found buried in the soft sand.

And Piper's eyes shine as Alex wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her in for a soft kiss.

And suddenly Alex finds herself wondering how she spent every summer of her life _before_ Piper Chapman.

.

Eventually Alex gets a couple days off in a row, and she tells Piper to pack her bags, because she's taking her to the more bustling town a few hours up the beach.

She's hesitant at first, wondering what to tell her parents before Cal spills it for her that their _friend_ from the diner is traveling up coast for a few days and has invited Piper to go with her. They're skeptical for a moment, asking why Cal hasn't been invited if she's _their_ friend, before Cal casually declares that he _was_ but he has plans to do some fishing with his other friends in the next few days and respectfully had to decline. Piper's almost amazed when that seems to be the end of it.

And Alex's Mustang pulls up to the Chapman house at 7am the next morning.

Piper's predictably unprepared, still throwing items into a small overnight bag when Alex texts and she pauses to shoot her a quick message saying that she'll be a few minutes and to let herself in.

**my bedroom's third door on the right of the second floor -**

**door's open so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding me ;) -**

She lingers in the doorway for several moments, watching Piper silently as she bustles from drawer to drawer mumbling about how she _swears_ she packed that soft pair of pajamas she loves. Eventually she clears her throat and Piper pauses her frantic scurrying, turning towards the door with a giddy smile.

"Hey!"

"Hey."

She pulls her in, sets her on the bed, and continues her hunt. Alex watches in silent amusement for awhile before standing an ambling around the room. She explores quietly, pulling down pictures of Piper at various ages to examine more closely as she comes across them.

"Is this the last time you were here?" She asks softly, studying a picture of Piper looking no older than twelve.

A bony chin hooks itself over Alex's shoulder as Piper glances at the image in her hands for a moment, "yep. Notice the overwhelming excitement." A soft chuckle breaks from Alex's lips as they both eye the stony expression adorning Piper's young features, "I used to hate coming here when I was a kid. Leaving my life and home and friends for a summer spent in some stuffy town full of old people... still kinda do..." she trails off absently, eyes glazing over as she continues to study the picture before refocusing and meeting Alex's own. A gentle smile slides across her lips and pecks a quick kiss against the older girl's cheek before taking up her search once more, "though, I suppose that's starting to change."

Alex studies the picture a moment longer, fighting back a faint blush before returning it to it's place upon the desk and turning towards the blonde, "_what_ exactly are you looking for?"

"My favorite pair of pajamas, I _swear_ I packed them!" Piper murmurs, darting from her search of the dresser back to the bed before Alex catches her arm and draws her into her chest.

"Who says you're even going to _need_ pajamas?" She whispers and Piper's cheeks flush a deep red at the implication.

She gives up the search.

They spend the greater majority of the day traveling.

Piper cycles through every one of Alex's tapes, teasing her softly about her revulsion for modern music before the brunette finally tells her that's what the radio is for. They sing along to songs both new and old, stopping for milkshakes and french fries along the way and occasionally throwing a wayward fry to two at one another's open mouths. They arrive on the heels of the early evening and Alex drives them immediately to the beach, where they walk hand in hand for awhile, dipping their toes in the gentle tide of the waves and exchanging quick teasing kisses.

They watch as the colors of the sky begin to change and slowly make their way back to the car, finally ready to check into the motel Alex has set them up in.

It's a small room, but not stifling. Almost _cozy_, Piper muses, as she stretches out along the bed watching Alex dig through the various assortment of bags they'd brought. Turning with a grin, whatever words Alex had been preparing to say died on her lips as she caught sight of the blonde stretched languidly across the comforter, and they watch each other for a moment before Alex slowly crawls her way up to her.

Leaning until she's flat on her back, Piper smiles lazily as Alex gently settles herself atop her.

"Well..." Alex murmurs, their lips just barely brushing, "I was _going_ to take you to the amusement park just up the pier but it looks like you've just about settled in for the night."

Laughing quietly, Piper tilts her head, capturing Alex's smirking lips before murmuring, "we can still go out."

"Mmm..." Alex hums, melting into her, "then we need to go now because one more minute in this bed and I won't be able to pull myself off of you."

The amusement park is bustling with life when they arrive and it's a jarring contrast to the sleepy ways of their other town. Alex drags Piper onto every ride, insisting each one is a staple of the experience incapable of being skipped, and by her fourth insistence Piper quiets her by dragging their mouths together and teasingly telling her to shut up. It's nearing 10 when they reach the top of the Ferris wheel, Alex's fingers swimming gently through Piper's hair as her head leans tiredly against her shoulder.

"It's beautiful up here," she murmurs softly, pulling her head up to gaze across their surroundings before turning to meet Alex's own.

"Yeah," she whispers, hand slipping behind Piper's head to tangle in the hair at her nape as she pulls her in for a deep and gentle kiss.

They duck into the motel room just after 11, dropping the small plush chicken Piper insisted Alex win for her at a crappy bottle toss game onto the bed and grabbing a six pack from the small fridge before slipping back into the night. Finding a secluded spot atop the sand they settle against one another, sharing subtle sips from the hidden bottles between them before Piper begins dropping lingering kisses at Alex's neck, just below her pulse-point. Finally leaning away enough to take the blonde's face between her hands Alex studies her eyes for a moment before murmuring, "_let's head back_."

They undress each other slowly in the low lighting of the small motel room, and Alex leaves no expanses of skin undiscovered as her lips mark every bit of Piper Chapman as her own.

Piper's eager and panting below her and Alex suddenly finds herself wondering if they'll manage to leave the room at all in their next day and a half in town. "_Easy, easy..._" She murmurs, late into the night, holding Piper still with soft caresses as she trembles gently under the waves of her fifth orgasm. She finds herself none too bothered with the thought though when Piper wakes her up several hours later under the light of the mid-morning sun for round two.

They depart around mid-afternoon of their third day, Piper taking aimlessly about one thing or another before fixing Alex with a sleepy eyed gaze and an unconstrained grin. And Alex can't help bringing her hand to her lips for a quick kiss. _Teenage Dream_ is drifting softly through the speakers when they hit the familiar stretch of highway once more and Alex occasionally catches Piper mumbling along with a lyric or two as she watches the world drift by on the other side of the window. She can't bring herself to change the station, hiding a gentle grin as Piper's eyelids droop lower and lower under the passing lights.

She opts to bring them both to her own house for the night, unable to bear the thought of waking Piper and parting from her just yet.

And it's not the first night Piper spends in her bed. But it _is_ the first they spend tangled together in nothing but it's sheets.

.

They're nearing the end of the summer, Piper's final week, when they begin to lose interest in anything other than just _being_.

It's in the quiet confines of the playground where they find themselves carrying out hushed conversations about anything and everything that crosses their minds as they kick gently back and forth atop adjacent swings. Piper's talking about nothing in particular as she nudges her swing against Alex's, and Alex watches her like she's painting out the answers to life itself as she rambles.

Eventually she draws a deep breath, attention turning from her study of the small patch of dirt beneath her shoes to the low-lit blue skies of the clinging dusk, "I can't believe it's already the end of summer. Where the hell did all our time go?"

And Alex rumbles a quiet laugh as Piper's gaze turns to meet her own, "I don't know what you're talking about," she teases, "this summer feels like it's just gone on and on and on, I honestly cannot believe I'm still sitting here talking to you. I can't wait to finally be free again." (and she bites back a grin as Piper's face squishes in that adorable way she'd been aiming for.)

She glares at Alex with a teasing indignation for a moment before her features smooth out and she fixes her with a quietly thoughtful gaze.

"You're gonna miss me when I'm gone..." Piper murmurs with a grin, leaning in towards Alex's waiting lips and pulling away just before the older girl can catch them against her own, "_when I'm gone, when I'm gone, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone..._" Rolling her eyes in playful exasperation at the blonde's soft singing, Alex huffs a quiet sigh before leaning back after Piper's teasing mouth, but Piper merely grins again, leaning away once more, "_you're gonna miss me by my walk, you're gonna miss me by talk, oh you're gonna miss me when I'm gone._"

A soft growl slips from Alex's lungs as the blonde continues to evade her, eyes gleaming mischievously at her soft frustration, until she finally manages to cup a hand around the back of Piper's neck, fingers tangling gently within the soft hair at her nape, and drags their mouths together.

"_You're gonna miss me by my hair, you're gonna miss me everywhere, oh you're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone..._" she whispers softly as their lips part, and Alex can't quite stamp down the lump in her chest when Piper's blue sky gaze opens to meet with her own.

They don't stay at the playground much longer, slipping quietly from the grounds with the last bit of sunlight.

.

They spend whatever time they can together in those precious final days.

Piper staying over at Alex's house almost every night before she tells her outside the diner on the eve of their final day that her parents expect her to attend some sort of family-friends dinner party tomorrow, and that tonight might be the last one they spend together. Alex is predictably disheartened, but she shoves it down, choosing to make the most of what is now their final night together.

They hit all their old spots, as if on some sort of goodbye tour, before ending atop the rolling dunes from the night they'd shared their first kiss. And Alex makes slow and gentle love to Piper as the ocean roars on behind them.

She drops her outside the Chapman house just after noon on their final day and they spend an inordinate amount of time just breathing into one another's necks before slowly pulling themselves apart with a final goodbye. And Piper can't quite bring herself to care about the implications of her surroundings when Alex cups her jaw one final time and imparts a long deep goodbye kiss against her lips.

"_Call me,_" she murmurs softly, thumbs trailing against Piper's cheeks before she finally turns to leave.

Piper watches her until she disappears from sight.

And Alex heads slowly towards the diner, knowing that yesterday was the last time she'd see Piper Chapman waiting for her in the parking lot as she finished her shifts.

Or so she'd thought.

Diane cuts her loose ten minutes early, a gently understanding smile on her lips as she tells her she'll take care of the rest, and Alex heads tiredly towards the exit. Piper's perched atop the hood of her car when Alex finally frees herself from the confines of the restaurant. It's a sight that gives her pause, and she lingers at the edge of the doorway for a moment, quietly taken aback at the sight of the blonde. Confusion and a small twinge of worry roll over her briefly before she catches sight of Piper's easy smile and she finally regains control of her limbs. A budding grin tugs at Alex's lips and she tamps it down, casting a quick gaze around the otherwise empty parking lot as she begins making her way towards the waiting girl.

"What're _you_ doin' here?"

Piper's eyes are bright and playful as she casts them upwards in casual contemplation, "mmm... I was sent out to pick up some more _booze_ for the party when I suddenly realized... I had better places to be."

"Is that so?" Alex murmurs, stepping up between the blonde's legs. Her hands fall to Piper's waist of their own accord, as if it's where they just _knew_ they naturally belonged.

"It is." Piper returns, gaze locking with Alex's as they both struggle to reign in nervous and giddy grins.

"And what places might those be?"

An enticing pink tongue darts from between Piper's lips, skirting gently along the bottom before disappearing once more. It's all Alex can do not to chase after it. "Well I seem to recall _someone_ promising to show me this _killer_ spot that _no one else_ knows about that can _only_ be experienced during sunset, and honestly, I just can't leave without knowing whether or not it really exists." She loses the fight against her grin as Alex leans into her and her next words come out in a hush, "and there's this bed I've grown particularly fond of and quite frankly, I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't spend my last night in town in it."

A slowly curling warmth unfurls throughout Alex's body and she loses the fight against her own grin as she finally leans in to capture Piper's lips with her own. It's a slow and languid kiss, deep and gentle as if time has temporarily ground to a standstill. Her hands, at some point, had risen to swim within the hair at Piper's temples and Piper's own have raised to clutch desperately at Alex's elbows, and they hold each other gently as they part.

Piper's tongue darts out again as she pulls her bottom lip briefly into her mouth, studying Alex with a gently thoughtful gaze before tilting her head towards the six-pack beside her, sweating leisurely in the slowly dying sun.

"well... I _did_ happen to stop at the store _before_ my revelation. It'd be a _shame_ to let eight dollars of my parents hard earned money go to waste... _and I sure would like some sweet company, and I'm leaving tomorrow, whadda'ya say?_"

A deep and husky laugh breaks through Alex's lips before she can catch it and Piper's eyes shine.

They manage to make it to the spot just before the gentle colors of sunset begin swirling low in the sky.

It's different from the other places she's taken Piper. High above the ocean upon a grassy knoll, it offers a view of the world before them unlike any Piper has previously seen, and she watches in awe as the sun begins it's descent and the large pale moon begins to rise over the vast expanse of the water.

"Oh my god... _Alex_," Piper murmurs breathlessly, and Alex leans her forehead into a blonde temple with a quiet chuckle.

"Worth missing the dinner party for?"

"_Yes._"

They spend the rest of their night upon that hill. Not speaking, simply choosing to exist in the silent comfort of one another's company. Alex scratches out AV+PC upon a small tree, laughing at Piper's gentle teasing about being_ "so middle school"_ and quietly telling her that it's _their_ spot now. The sun's just begun to rise when Piper finally nudges Alex up, telling her she needs to get back to her house because her family will be leaving soon. They share a quiet kiss, then another, before Alex finally pulls away, dragging them both to their feet and slinging an arm around Piper as they make their way back towards the waiting Mustang.

Her family's bustling around, moving bags from the house to the car when they finally pull up, and Piper ignores a disdainful glare from her mother as she tells Alex goodbye one final time, waiting until her parents disappear into the house before dropping a quick parting kiss to the older girl's lips.

Cal meets her at the steps, calling out a goodbye as Alex pulls away with a final wave.

.

It's late by the time the Chapmans finally arrive home, and Piper's phone is just barely hanging onto a sliver of battery life.

She races upstairs with an eagerness that her family attributes to being back in her own home, and dives across her bed to plug in the dying device before it can sever contact with Alex. They've not stopped texting the entire journey home, and Piper's quietly relived at how easy it is to continue their easy-going repartee even as state after state stretches on between them.

She eventually settles for bed, discarding the stuffy clothes she'd spent the day traveling in for the soft pair of pajamas left sitting in the top drawer of her dresser with a gentle shake of her head and a soft grin. It's weird, being in her own bed once again (a once familiar place she'd quietly pined for, now foreign and unappealing after three months spent in another's) and she sends Alex a quick selfie lamenting her new surroundings.

Receiving one back, she laughs softly at Alex's teasingly cocky admittance that it's certainly no paradise as she frames herself against a brilliant sunset and rolling waves. Piper saves the picture with a soft smile, adding it to her mental list of pictures to get printed and sends Alex a lamenting message about rural Connecticut's lack of _beautiful scenery_.

**- I know, I know**

**- but at least you've got over a dozen pictures of me to help ease that pain, kid**

And Piper snorts a laugh she knows Alex can hear clearly despite the stretch of land between them.

**I was talking about the ACTUAL scenery you ass -**

And she sighs softly when Alex sends her an unobstructed view of the darkening sky and vast ocean from_ their spot_, quietly marking _another_ addition to her growing mental list. Another message popping up immediately after the image,

**- It really is something though, huh**

**yeah -**

Piper replies, still studying the picture, imaging Alex sitting quietly in the grass. When she closes her eyes she can almost convince herself she's there next to her.

Her phone vibrates suddenly in her hand, breaking her from her quiet contemplation and she gazes at the screen to see an incoming call from Alex which she quickly swipes open, and they speak in quiet hushes for awhile before a heavy yawn from Piper prompts a gentle laugh from Alex. They bid each other a gentle farewell, promising to talk again in the morning, and Piper drifts to sleep (a gentle grin alighting her features as she slowly fades from consciousness, knowing Alex is doing the same several states away), her phone illuminating her bedroom one last time for the night as Alex's final message drifts through.

**- but it sure would be prettier with you.**

* * *

><p>my endearingly pestering friend orangedandelion was very insistent about needing a summer courtship AU, and I resisted all I could until I accidentally put on <em>Cups<em> while sorting through various playlists for the stories and what can I say, suddenly it just happened. anyway I had this all but finished right before season three secretly came out, so I figured I might as well buckle down and finish it. but honestly, at this point, I feel like it's only fair to tell you that I was so disappointed with season three as a whole that I, at this point... _don't know_ when I'll feel like writing again. I'm really sorry, but... idk. I once told you that I like to think I'd tell you when this story was drawing to a close, and as we stand right now I just can't really see myself feeling any sort of positivity here anytime soon. hopefully _something_ will give and I'll eventually want to channel my disappointments with the season back into writing but as it stands right now and being that I don't wanna promise anything, I just... thought I should let you guys know. I don't wanna leave you guys hanging. but. it's bad right now and I just... don't know when that might change. though it WAS kinda cathartic to get this out. which I suppose is a glimmer of good news, if anything. I don't WANT to abandon this story yet, but like I said, it's hard right now. just... bare with me as I sort through my feelings from here. anyway musical inspiration includes; _Tongue Tied _and_ Naked Kids_ **(Grouplove)**, _Style_ **(Taylor Swift)**, _Teenage Dream_ **(Katy Perry)**, and _Cups_ **(Anna Kendrick)**... among a few other less prominent others.


	23. Chapter 23

_(Rival team captains who know nothing about personal space and constantly get into fights where they end up face-to-face every single game until one day one of the coaches yells at them to either kiss or get back to the game au)_ except, they're on the same team and driving everyone crazy.

* * *

><p>It's been like this for as long as Piper can remember.<p>

This _tension_ with Alex Vause.

Piper Chapman had always been raised to be the best at everything she encountered; High Honor Roll, Student Council, first chair, club president, team captain. Her parents accepted nothing less than perfection. And so that's what she gave them. Until she joined the school soccer team; until she met _Alex Vause_.

Up until _Alex Vause_ Piper had never had much of a problem with exceeding expectations. Up until _Alex Vause_ no one had ever challenged Piper's need for perfection. Up until Alex Vause Piper's life had been_ fine_. And then Alex Vause had blown in like some sort of storm and shook up _everything_.

They're freshmen when they officially meet for the first time. Standing on the field with a handful of other girls as the coach and older players look over the _fresh meat_. Alex Vause was no stranger to Piper Chapman, though she _was_ somewhat taken aback at her presence in this particular gathering. She'd had the girl pegged as more of a tennis or track star and was surprised to find _soccer_ as the sport Litchfield's star pupil would be playing for.

She didn't initially have a problem with the girl, wasn't overly fond of some of the people she kept company with, but for the most part Alex's interest in Piper Chapman was largely unpresent. That was until they actually started _playing_.

Piper Chapman was, for all intents and purposes, a _good girl_. Which is probably why Alex found it so easy to get under the girl's skin. She picked up quickly on the fact that Piper Chapman expected to be the _best_. And she expected to be met with little resistance in her quest to be so. She threw herself into the sport with a fervor the other girls couldn't quite muster. And Alex suddenly found herself wanting to challenge the eager blonde.

She'd always been somewhat gifted at the sport. Enough so that her mother finally managed to convince her to set aside her personal convictions about high school functions and go out for the school team. She knows part of it is in thanks to her naturally competitive spirit. Which also happens to be the reason she suddenly finds herself clashing so brilliantly with Piper Chapman.

They're drawn to each other like moths to a flame and the rest of the team falls into the background in the midst of their budding fixation. Slamming into one another on the field like magnets, yanked together by some sort of pull they cannot fight, as they scramble for purchase over the ball. It's a power struggle, a palpable and crackling electricity, and it quickly catches the attention of everyone around them.

It doesn't take long for either of them to break out as _who to watch_ among the new players.

Their new coach, Mendoza, in particular, takes a quiet interest in their behavior, pairing them up and playing them against one another for awhile before figuring out how best to work with the overwhelming drive that they instill in each other. She makes them forwards; a reliant partnership on the field and an at odds competition during practice, and eventually cracks open the key to their potential. She notices early that they're not challenged by the rest of their teammates or opposing players; at their best when they're playing against _each other_. Which, if handled incorrectly, could seriously harm the team as a whole. But Piper Chapman and Alex Vause have a resounding sense of the overall _important_ and she quickly discovers that placing them in cooperative positions allows them to drive one another without sacrificing the good of the team.

So their quiet war wages on, Mendoza stroking the flames and bringing the fire to it's fullest potential. And when a senior player injures herself during the final half of an important match, Alex Vause is the first freshman player to take the field during a Varsity game. And Piper Chapman seethes quietly from the end of the bench.

Thus sparking the ignition of their burning rivalry.

.

So it goes, on throughout the years, in a similar manner.

They make it to the state finals freshman year, and it sets the pace for the next several years to come.

It's a weekend long excursion spent within the vicinity of a rather prestigious college on the other side of the state and Mendoza announced the rooming setups before they had even boarded the bus to begin their journey. Two girls to a room, one bed between them, a great _bonding_ experience.

"Chapman and Vause."

They had been surprised the first year, and predictably annoyed.

"I don't even wanna hear it," Mendoza begins, hand raised in dismissal before either of them can utter a word, "the rooming arrangements are based on positions within the team. You're my Freshman forwards; you're sharin' a room. Try not to kill each other."

They merely roll their eyes the second year.

They'd stubbornly avoided each other to their fullest extent the first year. Sleeping on the furthest edges of their shared mattress, making sure they were never in the room at the same time except for the eight or so hours they spent unconscious. It doesn't change a lot Sophomore year, but they're a little more used to one another's presence, having two years of cooperative teamwork behind them at that point. They still sleep on opposite ends of the bed, but their positions are a little less stiff. And when Piper enters the room from her pre-dinner run, Alex doesn't immediately make herself scarce.

Sophomore year Piper Chapman breaks the state record for goals scored in their division.

They rarely see each other outside the field. Save for silent passes in the hallways or fleeting glances in the cafeteria. Piper still keeps company with just about every single person in the school that Alex hates. But she thinks it might be hard _not to_ when she begins to realize Piper Chapman keeps company with just about every goddamn person in school _period_. She also begins to notice that Piper Chapman knows _everyone_ but no one seems to _really_ know Piper Chapman.

She doesn't really dwell too long on that thought.

It happens one afternoon after Jessica Wedge calls Alex a particularly nasty name at lunch when she appears in the doorway and pauses to roll her eyes and scoff at the mockery from the table full of her least favorite people. And _of course_ Piper Chapman is among them.

"Shut up, Jessica." Piper mutters, standing to collect her tray.

"Oh, what?" Jessica laughs, "just because you have some weird crush on her now, we all suddenly have to lay off Alex Vause?"

"Trust me. No one hates Alex Vause more than I do. I just prefer not to be tacky about it."

Alex doesn't hear whatever Jessica says in response, her eyes are locked with Piper's as she tosses out the remains of her lunch and pauses, shoulder to shoulder, in the cafeteria doorway. No words are exchanged outright, but something passes between them before Piper dips her chin slightly and continues through the doors.

Alex doesn't have much of a problem with Jessica Wedge after that.

And something about no one knowing the _real_ Piper Chapman, and the idea of being a part of something _bigger_, a shift in dynamic, and a hazy echoing of the word _team_ begins to swim idly at the back of Alex's mind.

Junior year Alex Vause wins MVP within the state championships and gets the coveted #10 jersey.

(By Junior year the gap in the center of the bed isn't quite so large.)

Senior year Piper Chapman becomes Captain.

Alex is announced as Vice Captain and is predictably livid when their coach turns to leave. Storming after Mendoza as she heads towards the gym and her office, demanding to know why exactly _Piper Chapman_ had been made Captain when they all knew _Alex_ was the best player on the team.

"It's nothing personal, Vause. True, you're an edge over her when it comes to skills on the field, but Chapman's the more logical choice when it comes to leading this team."

"Why!?" Alex roars, earning a glare from the older woman over her shoulder as she moves into her office, preparing to leave for the night.

"Because you gotta ask me questions like _that,_" she simply says.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex asks, voice lowered, a forced sense of calm at the woman's previous glare.

"It _means_ if you can't see _why_ I made Chapman Captain, Vause, then I've made the right decision."

She climbs into her truck that evening with a extra aggressive slam of the door, before emptying her lungs of a loud scream, fingers curling tightly into the material of the steering wheel, "FUCK." She growls, running a hand through her hair and collecting herself once more, "fuck."

.

If playing _with_ Piper Chapman was bad, playing _under _her was a whole new level of hell.

Alex holds onto her temper for as long as she can, but it all boils forward after just one week and a very hot day.

Piper's been riding her all practice (and Alex has been doing increasingly little to heed her commands), when finally something snaps and the scrimmage game grinds to a halting standstill. It's something they haven't done since they were kids, but it happens abruptly, exploding violently like a pent up eruption, and suddenly they're in the middle of the field screaming at each other in front of the entire team.

"Hey, HEY! Alright, break it up, BREAK IT _UP_!" Mendoza yells, stalking into the field, "Oh, nuh uh, we are so far past this behavior, both of you, take a run. You know the drill."

Scowling at each other and the familiar punishment they lower their heads and take off down the field.

They spend the rest of practice circling the field, the freshmen players watching their sweat-soaked forms reverently from the corner of their eyes. It's not the first time they'd seen their Captains go at it, but it's certainly the most explosive, and they make their mental notes not to piss either of them off.

Mendoza calls them off finally as the rest of the team collects their water bottles and begins heading towards the locker rooms.

"Chapman," the older woman calls out, and Piper lowers her water bottle and straightens her spine, heading across the field to where her coach stands.

Alex's eyes trails over them for a moment as she finishes gathering her things and catching her breath, and snippets of their muted conversation drift across the field on the heels of the light breeze. "_I'm sorry_" and "_I understand_" and "_It won't happen again, ma'am_" and when she passes Piper Chapman on her way out of the locker room later, Alex tries to ignore the ring of red around the girl's eyes as she knocks her fist moodily against the lockers.

.

They manage to keep it together for the most part after that.

Piper avoids confrontation by avoiding Alex altogether as much as she can, and Alex does her best to ignore the subtle change.

It's a shift she hasn't seen for some time. The kind that usually comes with the more important matches, when Piper's parents make an appearance to watch quietly from the stands. Alex never thought much of it, this shift in Piper's demeanor, only vaguely noticing the way the younger girl's focus would sharpen after those matches as she met her parents across the field and exchanged muted conversations before watching them depart, alone, from the parking lot. But it wasn't the sharpened sort of focus that Alex typically enjoyed playing off of. It was an introspective sort of focus that'd leave the blonde quiet and withdrawn for days on end before gradually relaxing back into her usual stuck up self. And it used to leave Alex wondering what sort of muffled words were being exchanged as Piper Chapman stood rigid and small under her parent's weighted gaze.

They're a month into the season when she gets her answer.

It's a long weekend. Some bullshit holiday no one really celebrates but society still dictates there must be a day off of school and work for the observation of.

She hadn't seen much of Piper Chapman in the last few days. Outside of practice, that is. She usually can't go more than a few periods before passing the girl in the hall or running into her at lunch. But whatever Piper's been occupying her time with lately has kept her scarce. And that nagging voice in the back of Alex's mind can't stop going over that quiet shift.

She's pretty sure that's how she ends up at the party.

It's been a long few weeks, between falling back into a new soccer season and a new school year, and her mind's incessant need to fixate on the idea of Piper Chapman at the most ridiculous times. It hadn't taken much for her friends to coax her into coming out for the night.

Truthfully though, Alex doesn't really know why she's here. Parties seem to have lost their appeal since she joined the soccer team. Maybe it's the sudden realization that she can _make_ something out of this, and she doesn't exactly want to throw it all away for a night of drunken debauchery. Or maybe it's just that she's getting older and the thrill of rebellion doesn't hold the same appeal it once did when she was young. Either way, she's somehow coerced into attending this particular get together, and she decides she might as well make the most of it. She keeps her head about her though, opting to forgo the unnecessary hassle of a hangover (and still listening to the quiet reminder at the back of her mind about scholarships and records and staying out of trouble), and stays leveled at a consistent buzz.

Piper Chapman doesn't typically attend parties.

Not that she has anything against them. She just rarely finds the time between the overabundant amount of extracurricular activities and _life experience_ her parents demand of her. In all actuality Piper Chapman _loves_ parties. They're one of the few places she can drop the Little Miss Perfect act and just _lose herself_. It just happens that the parties she attends are so few and far between. But it's been a rough month (Senior year comes with the added weight of an _actual future_ and the expectations of her parents have nearly tripled with the new year). So she lets Polly drag her out tonight with the intention to forget just about everything about this shitty month. And it doesn't take her long to get good and plastered.

She's swaying to the music, lost in a haze of alcohol and the pleasant sensation of a body behind her, when she suddenly decides she needs another drink. Stumbling from the room, she mumbles a slurred apology as she weaves haphazardly through the mass of sweaty, grinding bodies. She makes it as far as the doorway before forgetting where she was going, her gaze sweeping the rooms around her as she ambles aimlessly through the house, before landing upon a familiar body.

_Alex Vause_.

She's got her hands under one of the cheerleader's shirts (she can't remember her name Becky? Bailey? Brittany?) and her tongue in her mouth, and they're grinding against one another like a couple of cats in heat. If the alcohol hadn't already done so, Piper's sure the sight would have flared her cheeks bright red. She pauses momentarily, somewhat taken aback at this new image of Alex, and her drunken mind scrambles to make sense of the barrage of thoughts suddenly pouring through it.

She doesn't know how long she stands there watching them for (probably too long, time always tends to blur the more Piper drinks), but she's suddenly hit hard with the memory of her original task when she shakes herself free. The kitchen is crowded when she enters, but she has an easy enough time finding herself several more drinks, and she's reached the next stage of _fucked up_ by the time she finally stumbles back out.

She doesn't know where Polly's gone, hasn't seen her for hours (at least she thinks it's hours, it might have been minutes, it might have been _years_). Something inside of her is burning hard, has been since she caught sight of Alex Vause. She thinks it might be hatred,_ familiar_, but it's tinged with something else, and it doesn't take her long to find another willing body to grind upon, losing herself once again in the music. This one follows her when she makes to pull away though, trailing closely after her as she stumbles through the house, feeding her drink after drink.

There's a hand at her arm, and it's pulling. Pulling her in a direction she doesn't want to go, but she doesn't really know how to fight it so she settles for quiet unhappy groans as her feet stumble haltingly along obediently. He's trying to take her upstairs, hot breath against her ear whispering words she can't quite make out but they're soft and gentle. _Coaxing_. She tries to pull away again, grumbling a little louder but the hand on her arm tightens and it _hurts_ and she whimpers softly in hazy pain.

"No." Is all she can manage to mumble out, petulantly, her feet finally catching up with the rest of her body and digging into the carpet.

"C'mon, babe, we're just gonna go upstairs and rest for a little."

"Mm-mm."

The hand squeezes again and she's vaguely aware of the fact that she's about to be dragged up the stairs whether her feet continue to cooperate or not when a familiar voice breaks through the loud buzz of the party.

"Hey!"

The insistent hand falters slightly, it's grip loosening before re-tightening, words are being exchanged, Piper can't quite make them out because somewhere within the last forty seconds the room started spinning and her arm hurts _so goddamn much_ and suddenly the hand is gone. A new pair of hands are grabbing her; gentle and soft, and Piper falls into them with abandon, sighing in relief.

"Back the _fuck_ off,_ now_!" The voice growls, and Piper presses herself into a warm neck. The voice is angry, but it doesn't frighten her, a weird sense of calm washes over her as she inhales a vaguely familiar scent. Almost as if she's smelt it before but not quite so intensely. There's a familiar underlying muskiness to it that Piper can detect through the lightest sheen of sweat marking the tops of the voice's collarbones. But it's mingled with something soft, a gentler scent, one that's been applied unnaturally; a hint of perfume... or cologne... the faintest whiff of cigarette smoke... leather... they swirl with the voice's natural scent and Piper finds herself sinking deeper into the warm embrace as she inhales as much of it as she can.

The voice eventually succeeds in chasing away the hand and suddenly the idea of resting is the most appealing thing in the world. The severity of Piper's headache begins to weigh in heavily, and she becomes acutely aware of just how _tired_ she is.

"Hey... kid, _hey_." The voice coaxes, attempting to pry her away from the warm neck, and Piper protests feebly, "_Chapman_."

It's in the vocalization of her last name that Piper finally places the voice and the scent. _Alex_.

"Alee... ex?" She slurs quietly, pulling her head away to peer blearily into the familiar set of eyes.

"Hey..." Alex murmurs, brows furrowing as she studies Piper's blown gaze, "Jesus, Chapman, how much have you had to drink?" Piper offers a garbled, unintelligible response. "I think it's time to get you home." Normally Piper would protest, hating to leave a party when she's still semi-_aware_, but something about the concern swimming in Alex's gaze captures her attention and she nods mutely. "Who'd you come with?" Alex asks gently.

"Polly."

"And where is she?"

"I dunno." Piper slurs.

Alex sighs, gazing around the party before seeming to make a decision. "Alright, kid, c'mere," she eases Piper to her side, arm sliding around her unsteady shoulders for support and begins to maneuver them towards the kitchen. Her bottom plunks heavily into a chair as Alex busies herself with rifling through the cabinets in search of a glass, which she eventually finds and fills with cold water.

"Here."

Piper accepts it silently, drinking it down in huge gulps. When she's finished, she slides it gently across the table, her eyes trailing it's movement as her head begins to sink lower and lower. It's almost as if she can no longer support her own weight and the soft haziness returns as she sinks bonelessly in on herself, forehead dropping with a quiet thunk to the table.

And then Alex's hands are grabbing her waist.

"What're you doing?" She sputters, jumping slightly from the chair, earning a alarmingly confused look from the brunette.

"I'm looking for your phone. Because you're obviously too far gone to be of any help." Piper eyes her quietly, slowly piecing together the new string of information in her mind, "I just asked you like six questions and the only response I got was you passing out on the table." Her fingers close around the phone as she finishes her sentence and she withdraws it with a triumphant sigh of relief.

Piper eases her head back into her arms, now folded atop the table, and watches Alex tiredly from the corner of her slowly closing eye. She only catches snippets of the conversation as she begins to fade in and out of consciousness. ("Yeah, _that_ Alex.") ("What do you mean you left!?") ("I have no fucking idea where she lives!") ("She's not exactly in a position to tell me right now.") ("We'll be there in fifteen.")

"Alright, Chapman, up n' at 'em." Alex murmurs, sliding the phone back into Piper's pocket before slipping her hands under her arms. She eases her to her feet, scrambling for a better grip when Piper sways dangerously, threatening to fall face first into the kitchen floor.

"Where'we going?" Piper mumbles, eyes fighting to stay open as Alex moves them steadily through the house.

"I'm taking you to Polly's."

She allows the darkness at the edges of her gaze to slip a little farther.

She's reawakened by a slamming door, forehead crinkling at the sound, and she blinks blearily in it's general direction. She's in a truck, Alex Vause beside her, mumbling soft curses as she turns a key and the engine revs to life. Piper watches her through half-lidded eyes, slipping in and out of consciousness. Shadows dance over the older girl's face in irregular patterns from the various streetlights and buildings they pass, accentuating her sharp features. And Piper's noticed them before, but there's something different about seeing them in the cover of darkness, illuminated in intervals under the passing lights.

"Alex..." she murmurs, voice barely a scratchy whisper, and she waits for Alex's gaze to slide from the road to her own, "_thank you_."

Piper's all but unconscious when they finally arrive at Polly's, and Alex shifts the truck into park with a sigh.

Her gaze sweeps over the still form of Piper Chapman, and she lingers in the moment for awhile. She's not used to seeing the blonde so peaceful (and that insistent little voice sparks up once more). An innocence marks her features that Alex has never witnessed before - her brows usually pulling with determination, her mouth tight with a restrained control, her eyes hard with steely focus - but under the soft glow of the streetlights and the quiet grip of sleep Piper Chapman looks almost angelic. It's a side Alex wouldn't mind seeing more of. But she squashes the idea down as soon as it arises, pushing herself from the truck, striding around the help the groggy blonde from it's warmth.

She doesn't see Piper again for another couple of days.

School starts back up and once more, and Piper Chapman is still missing from her usual paths among the halls. Alex isn't even entirely sure if the girl has survived that night, if she's being honest (though she's sure if Piper Chapman had died _someone_ would be talking about it). They had't had a practice since last week and the last time she'd seen the blonde she'd been hanging limply from Polly's doorstep as the smaller girl dragged her into the house. Alex doesn't dwell on the thought.

But that insistent voice in the back of her mind reminds her every so often, regardless.

And tonight it's not alone. Her thoughts are raging loudly.

It's late. A rare night when her mother's home and sleeping, and Alex's restlessness forces her from the small apartment and into the streets.

She walks aimlessly on nights like these. The simple thoughtless motions keeping her limbs occupied and her mind distracted.

She never tells anyone about her midnight walks (though she suspects her mother knows), about the nights her anxieties weigh too heavy and the buzzing in her head grows too loud. The roaring storms in her mind gradually calm as her feet carry her through the town, and the still darkness of the night slowly wipes away her restlessness. She treads familiar paths, cutting towards places she's always felt the most _herself_.

This is where she finds Piper Chapman.

Her feet have carried her to the school tonight, unconsciously leading her towards the fences and fields she feels most at home on. But tonight she's not alone, and she pauses for a moment, eyeing the unusual scene before her. Someone else is already here, running long, steady laps around the empty track. Casting her eyes around briefly, Alex tentatively makes her way closer, eyes trained on the bobbing white t-shirt and familiar shock of blonde hair.

_Piper Chapman_.

Alex's feet carry her slowly to the fence lining the track as if drawn by some sort of silent call, where she comes to a quiet stop, somewhat startled at the younger girl's presence. She's intrigued at the sight of Piper Chapman, sweating and fixated, as she pushes herself down the long stretch of rubber, and she can't help but follow her every move as she approaches the length of fence Alex is currently leaning against.

Her mouth is open, just slightly, as she sucks in lung-fulls of air. Sweat trails down her neck and over her collarbones in small rivulets, and sticks the few wayward strands of hair that have managed to escape from her loose ponytail against her forehead and cheeks. Alex's eyes linger at the patch of sweat slowly dampening the area against Piper's chest (imagines there's a matching pattern growing against the space between her shoulder blades). And, almost as if she can sense it, Piper's blue eyes snap to Alex's as they finally rise to meet her own.

A gentle sort of confusion crosses her face and she looks as if she's contemplating whether to stop or continue on as she grows closer to Alex's position.

Apparently making a decision, her pace slows to a trot, before coming to a stop altogether just on the other side of the fence, and they study each other in quiet contemplation for a moment.

"Alex." She murmurs by way of greeting.

"Piper." Alex returns. "What're you doing here?" She asks, leaning against the fence.

"Running."

"Yeah," Alex scoffs, "I can see that. I mean _why_."

"Needed to clear my head," Piper murmurs.

"Yeah..." the brunette nods quietly, gazing around the empty track, "any luck?"

"No." A defeated sort of chuckle breaks through the blonde's lips as she moves to lean against the opposite side of the fence that stretches between them, before regarding Alex with a thoughtful look, "what're _you_ doing here?"

"Needed to clear my head," Alex admits softly, "went for a walk... noticed someone on the field."

"Any luck?" Piper whispers, and Alex's gaze drops to the ground between them before rising to lock with Piper's through the fence.

"Wanna spar?"

The rest of the conversation passes between them silently, as Piper's head tilts, holding Alex's gaze in the still quiet of the night. She nods slowly, surely, and steps away from the fence, waiting for Alex to join her.

They lose track of how long they play for, lost in their silent tallies of increasing one-ups until the sky begins to melt from a thick black to a muted gray.

"Shit," Alex eventually sighs, eyeing her watch as they catch their breath in the aftermath of her last goal (the silent score now even), "school starts in three hours."

Piper grunts from down the field.

"Uuuugh." Alex grunts, dropping tiredly to the ground. She doesn't notice Piper approaching until she's settling down beside her, water bottle held out in silent offering. "Thanks," Alex murmurs softly, their fingers brushing gently.

Piper simply nods.

They're quiet for a moment, taking small pulls from the water bottle and staring out at the field before them.

"Do you do this a lot?" Alex murmurs after awhile, "come here and just... run?"

Piper's silent for a long moment and Alex begins to think she's not going to get an answer (doesn't quite blame her for it), before her gaze drops to her hands and she mutters, "often enough. Just whenever... whenever the weight becomes a little too much."

And Alex finds herself thinking back to Piper's fists knocking steadily against those lockers, and to Piper's spine tensing under Mendoza's quiet scolding, to Piper's wildly detached persona as she knocked back drink after drink at that party, and to Piper's eyes going cold and losing that driving spark after every quiet conversation with her parents after every less than perfect game.

And Alex's mind drifts to her own weights; her mother's multiple jobs, and the vastness of her frighteningly bleak future, and the pressure to change as much of it as she can, to earn whatever she can from the few talents she's been given.

"_Yeah_." She murmurs softly.

They don't say anything when they pass each other in the hallway four hours later.

But Piper's eyes aren't quite so hard (shining with a familiar spark) and the weight of her sullen, withdrawn _heaviness_ begins to recede as they take the field later that afternoon for practice. And when her body collides with Alex's and they fight for purchase over the ball between them, Alex catches sight of that driven focus she's grown begrudgingly fond of, and can't quite tamp down her own determined eagerness as they pick up where they left off eleven hours ago.

And just like that Piper Chapman shifts back into place.

.

The rest of the month goes out smoothly.

They head into their first few real matches with a casual sort of easiness.

But it's a laxness that can't last.

It's an exceptionally hot day for mid-autumn, two months into the season, and everyone's more irritable than usual. _Especially_ their Captain and Vice Captain.

They'd nearly lost their last match, only managed to pull out a win in the last few minutes by a stroke of luck when the strongest member of the opposite team injured herself and couldn't finish out the game. Their leaders were predictably unimpressed and after Mendoza ran them through their standard routines for the day, Piper stepped up to initiate extended practice. She kept them on the field for another hour.

They'd been running suicide drills for the last fifteen minutes when she called for everyone to take a cool down lap around the field before bringing it in for more shots on goal.

"Seriously!?" One of the freshman players shouts, and the rest of the team falls silent.

"Yeah," Piper says softly, "seriously. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah!" The girl growls, "this is ridiculous, practice ended like an hour ago! We won the stupid game on Friday why are we out here killing ourselves for it!?"

"We did win, yes." Piper says, approaching the younger girl, "but that doesn't mean we deserved to. This team has been the best in the state for five years running and I don't intended to lose that title now. Which is exactly what's going to happen if we continue to play the way we did last week. If you don't think you can handle it, by all means, walk away. I don't have time for weak links."

She comes to rest before the girl, eyebrows raised, awaiting her decision.

"_Tch._" The girl scoffs, turning her face away, and Piper nods.

"Good." She continues past the younger girl, preparing to lead the team through their cool down lap.

"_Bitch_." The girl grumbles under her breath once Piper's passed.

"_Hey_." Alex barks suddenly and the team pauses once more, "do you wanna spend the rest of your high school career riding the fucking bench?"

"No." The girl says petulantly.

"Well that's what's gonna fucking happen if you don't knock it off with the childish attitude right the fuck_ now_. You're fifteen fucking years old. Fucking act like it! Apologize to your Captain _and_ your teammates, and if I _ever_ hear you call another member of this team anything like that again you _will_ be riding the bench for the rest of the fucking season." She's in the girl's face by the time she finishes and the girl visibly pales under her gaze, "_understand_?"

"Yes." She whispers somewhat fearfully.

"Good. Go run your fucking laps. Make it two. You could use the extra workout."

Nodding again the girl lowers her head, passing Piper with a mumbled "_sorry_", and takes off down the field, properly cowed.

The rest of the team lingers, eyes flicking between their Captains. Alex's hands move to rest on her hips as she recollects herself, jerking her head to toss a stray strand of hair away from her face. Her eyes lock with Piper's and a silent conversation seems to pass between them as the team awaits their final orders.

"One more lap. Another round of shots on goal. We pack it in." Piper finally murmurs, gaze still locked with the brunette's.

A groan or two ripples through the team (freshmen who are still learning the limits of Piper Chapman and Alex Vause's anger, quickly hushed by the senior players), as they head off one by one to start their cool down lap. Alex's eyes drop from Piper's as the girls begin to make their way around the field, nodding slowly. They set off silently after their team, keeping a natural sort of pace side by side.

They pause briefly at the collection of water bottles upon completion of their lap, gulping down mouthfuls of cool water before heading across the field towards the goal for their final task. Alex and Piper linger, quietly making sure there are no more complaints as the girls prepare to finish up for the night.

Pulling the bottle from her lips, Alex throws her head back, dumping what's left of the cool water over her head. Small rivers of water split into various little trails down her skin and Piper's eyes trace each and every one of them as she gulps down mouthful after mouthful of her own water. Her gaze lingers briefly at Alex's defined stomach muscles as they twitch slightly in fatigue, before sliding back up her body. She's in nothing but a sports bra and shorts and Piper finds herself quietly envious of the girl's easy beauty. Because Alex Vause _is_ beautiful. She ends her study of Alex Vause as she notices her team growing antsy by the goal, tossing aside her water bottle and jogging over to initiate the final round of practice.

Alex's eyes follow her across the field as she finishes tying her hair back up, gaze trailing slowly over the long firm muscle of Piper's legs, showcased somewhat brilliantly in her rather short shorts. She might hate a lot of things about Piper Chapman but the girl's certainly got one of the fittest bodies Alex has ever seen.

.

But things pick up again.

And they regain their stride as _best team in the league_, hitting a string of wins that leaves the whole team flying high and eager. Mendoza routinely reminds them of scouting agents and scholarships and making sure they're always at the top of their game, and they lock into a collectively driven focus that leaves them almost unstoppable.

They're nearly halfway through the season when everything shatters.

It's an important match, the first of several against their rivals, the prep school from the next county over, and they're giving Litchfield a run for their money.

Both sides have yet to score and the stagnant weight of the pointlessly tied game leaves tensions running high. Frustrations boil over from both sides, and Piper's having just enough trouble keeping her own temper in check as she attempts to keep her team together under a growing string of bad calls. Alex, in particular. The center midfielder is an aggressive player who's clashed with Piper and Alex's short tempers since the lot of them were Freshmen. Today is no different, and after a particularly harsh collision that nearly sent her to her ass mid-field, Alex is out for blood.

As the whistle blows signaling halftime they drag themselves from the field in tired angry frustration.

"This is bullshit!" Janae Watson growls, "these refs aren't calling anything!"

"Oh no," Alex quips, dosing herself with a squirt of her water bottle, "they're calling. It's just all on _us_."

"We can't let it get to us." Piper murmurs from the edge of the group, where she stands stretching her calves, "we're better than them. We've beaten them multiple times over. Today is no different. Bullshit biased refs or no."

Janae scoffs.

Alex sighs.

The team regroups.

They're several minutes into the new half when it happens.

Piper's gotten ahold of the ball, is making her way up the field, ready to pull Litchfield ahead when the opposing center midfielder hits her out of nowhere. It's a dirty move, a blatant slide tackle that connects with Piper's ankle with a sickening snap, causing Piper to let out a loud yelp as she slams to her back against the ground.

"Hey!" Alex yells, cutting quickly across the field towards her fallen teammate as the whistle blows and the medical aids jog out onto the field. She's in the aggressor's face before the girl can grasp what's happening, shoving her back and snarling a low string of threatening curses as the refs attempt to pry the two apart. Teammates finally catching up to the argument, they're gradually led to their respective ends of the field by firm hands and low murmuring voices.

Piper's still on her back in the center of the field and Alex pulls away from her concerned teammates to jog towards the fallen blonde.

"How bad is it?" She asks gruffly, as the aids run their hands over Piper's leg, asking her soft questions about where it hurts and how much. The blonde's eyes are screwed shut, her teeth clenched as she sucks short heaving breaths between their gaps.

"It's not looking good," Fischer murmurs softly. Then to Piper, "can you stand?"

The blonde begins to shake her head for half a second before snapping her eyes open, sapphire gaze locking on Alex's emerald over Fischer's shoulder. "Yeah," she grinds out, gritting her teeth and nodding once, firmly. Slinging an arm around both Fischer and Bennett's shoulders respectively, she slowly hoists herself to her feet, breath catching as she moves to put slight pressure on her injured ankle. Her gaze doesn't waver from Alex's.

"We're gonna take you to the hospital, just to be safe." Fischer murmurs, but Piper shakes her head firmly.

"No. There's thirteen minutes left. I'm staying. We can go when the match is finished."

"Chapman-" Bennett starts, but Piper cuts him short, eyes still locked on Alex's, "I'm the captain of this team and I won't leave them until the match is _finished_."

Alex holds her gaze evenly as the blonde nods for them to take her to the bench.

She can tell the younger girl is in a lot of pain. More-so than she's letting on. But she knows, had their positions been reversed, she'd have made the same choice. She nods once, just so, Piper responding with a subtle nod of her own, before breaking eye contact. A soft applause whispers through the crowd as Piper's led limping from the field and Alex drops her gaze to her cleats as she collects a steadying breath.

She moves to take her position once more.

She lasts an impressive three minutes before the smug taunting of the girl who'd injured Piper gets the best of her. Seeing her opening as the girl breaks away with the ball, Alex shoots after her, eager for a chance to return the favor. Her shoulder connects harshly with the other girl's ribs and she goes barreling into the grass as Alex takes control of the ball. She's taken all of three steps when the whistle sounds, halting her in her tracks as she whirls towards the advancing ref.

"Foul!"

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" She demands.

"Hey! Watch your language, #10!" The ref growls.

"You haven't called _anything_ on them for the last seventy minutes and now you're gonna call _that_! This is horseshit!"

"I advise you to shut your mouth #10, final warning!" The pudgy man barks, reaching for his pocket.

"Yeah well I advise you do your fucking job," Alex snarls, and the whistle blows again as he raises his fist toward the sky, bright yellow card flashing against the sun.

Alex's mouth falls open in livid disbelief, but before she can utter another word the sharp voice of her coach rings out across the field, "VAUSE!"

Whirling towards the older woman, the fight abruptly leaves her as Alex eyes the replacement lined up patiently at the side of the field.

"_Fuck_." She mutters, turning to trot towards the waiting girl, hands slapping lightly as they take one another's place.

"Park it." Mendoza barks, her gaze not leaving the field as Alex scowls and throws herself onto the cool bench.

"What the fuck was that!?" Piper hisses angrily and Alex turns to her in disbelief.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? What the fuck was that!? That fucking_ asshole_ let them get away with snapping your ankle but everyone's got a problem with _this_!?"

"That is _not_ the kind of shit we _need_ right now, Alex!" Piper growls, "_Especially_ when we're playing with an unfair ref!"

"Oh well excuse the fuck outta me for feeling a little fucking cheated about it all!" Alex snarls back.

"Alex you and I are the best goddamn players on this team and it'll do _no one_ any good if we're _both_ benched for the next however many games. I _know_ you're angry, I'm fucking angry too, and that ref is _definitely_ calling unfairly but we can_not_ afford to lose our shit over this! You need to pack it in, man the fuck up, and go out there and do what you do best; kick their fucking metaphorical asses by beating them so severely they leave this field in tears!"

They hold one another's gazes challengingly, Piper's chest heaving as she finishes her hushed tirade. Her pupils have dilated slightly and Alex can't quite tell if it's from the pain of her ankle or something else entirely, but something inside her clicks under Piper's heated gaze and she's suddenly acutely aware of why Mendoza had made the blonde the team captain instead of herself. Piper's temper had always been worse than Alex's but her drive had always been about the big picture.

She lowers her head, recollects herself, and waits silently for Mendoza to put her back in.

She's scored three goals by the time the final whistle blows.

She catches Piper's eye from the center of the field, her team pulsing around her with whooping shouts and pounding arms. Sapphire eyes lock with hers immediately and Piper's chin tilts in an approving nod, slow contented smile breaking out across her face. And Alex nods back, as teammates thump her on the back shouting their congratulations, oblivious to their Vice Captain's distraction. They hold one another's gaze for a moment before Piper finally allows Fischer and Bennett to lead her towards the team van.

.

Alex later learns Piper's injury had been much worse than the blonde let on.

A complex fracture that leaves her unable to finish out the season.

When she hears that particular bit of news Alex's world tilts. The team has been visiting in small waves, this much Alex knows from the murmurs she picks up on the pitch. A card and small "get well" care package have been making the rounds, which Alex eventually takes upon herself to deliver. The team wisely says nothing.

She's never been to Piper Chapman's house before. Though she's not really surprised when she pulls up to something that's roughly four times the size of her and her mother's small home. An older woman answers the door when Alex knocks, and tells her Piper's resting in her room and that she can see herself up before disappearing back down the hallway.

Her eyes trail over the collection of pictures lining the wall, various staged portraits of rather miserable looking children. She pauses briefly beside a particularly miserable looking one of a young Piper. She can't be more than ten or eleven, but the emptiness in her eyes strikes something within Alex. Her eyebrows furrow slightly before she shakes her head, making her way up the rest of the stairs.

Piper's door is slightly ajar when she reaches it and she knocks gently making sure she's alerted the blonde to her presence before pushing it open the rest of the way. Her attention having been on her laptop before the interruption, Piper's eyes widen slightly before relaxing at the sight of the brunette. "_Alex,_" she murmurs, somewhat surprised.

"Hey kid, how ya doin'?"

"Alright." Piper murmurs, "better."

And Alex nods.

And they pretend they believe it for a moment. Pretend they haven't always been able to see past the bullshit that everyone else gets so tangled in. Then Piper sighs, shakes her head. And Alex is sighing in return as she sets the card and small gift basket atop Piper's bed and slides into the chair that's been pulled up to it's side.

"It's bad," Piper whispers, studying the small offering, a tightness seeping into her voice, "_really_ bad. I mean... the girls pretty much know I'm out for the rest of the season, but they don't... they don't know how _bad_. I don't really... know how to tell people. ... _what_ to tell people..." she draws a shaky breath and finally meets Alex's gaze, "they said I might never play again."

It's nothing Alex hadn't been expecting but she feels as if the wind's been knocked out of her anyway.

"Pipes..." she murmurs.

"Don't." Piper cuts her off sharply. "_Don't_, Alex. I've been dealing with nothing but pity since it happened. I'm sick of it. Don't you dare. You're the first person I've told. Aloud. By choice. I _need you_ to not make a thing out of it. I _need you_ to be _normal_. _Please_."

Tears swim around the corners of her sapphire gaze and Alex sucks in a quiet breath before nodding softly, dropping her own gaze to her hands to collect herself, to be the person Piper needs her to be, before dragging her gaze back to the blonde's. "Okay," she murmurs. "Okay."

Piper's gaze burns fiercely, desperately, and Alex finally succeeds in steeling herself, "what did they say the chances were exactly?"

.

Janae Watson replaces Piper as second forward.

She moves well with Alex, carrying the team onward in the wake of the loss of their Captain. But she's no Piper.

Piper never misses a game though, and attends every practice, watching diligently from Mendoza's side as Alex leads the team through her old routines.

It takes nearly two months for the cast to come off and for Piper's doctor to okay her for tentative activity once more.

She watches practice from the sidelines with a sharp glint in her eye the day she's cleared, catching Alex's gaze as the older girl takes the field. Her eyes track down Piper's body, noting the lack of crutches and examining her castless ankle before jumping back up to Piper's own. She nods once, almost imperceptibly, and Piper knows tonight's the night they've been waiting for.

The girls flock around her when they finish, chattering softly before heading off towards the showers. And Piper and Alex wait until the last of them have disappeared from sight before making their way back onto the pitch. They start slow, gentle warm ups well within Piper's limits before moving onto slightly more challenging tasks. Alex never pushes Piper past what she knows the blonde to be capable of and Piper often grows overly frustrated with her own shortcomings until Alex barks harshly at her self-loathing, telling her to cut it out. Talking her sternly down from that place of darkness.

They've been at it for just under a month when something finally snaps.

It's a bad night, Piper pushing herself harder than ever, and she nearly re-breaks her ankle before Alex yanks her off the field. Piper's livid. Understandably. And she snarls a collection of particularly nasty comments at the older girl as she yanks open the door to the locker rooms and practically throws the snarling blonde through.

"You need to calm the fuck down," Alex growls pushing the girl towards the showers.

"Fuck you, Alex! You don't get to tell me when I'm done! I can _do it_! I can fucking do it if you'd just fucking give me half a chance!"

"Piper you've been going over the same routine for the last hour, all you're gonna succeed in doing is fucking up your ankle even further! I agreed to do this with you under the condition that you _pack it in_ when I _tell you_ it's time to _pack it in_!"

"Well you don't get to make that call, Alex! I could fucking get it if you'd just let me-" she moves to brush back past the brunette, but Alex catches her by the arm once again, hauling her back towards the direction of the showers.

"_No_." She levels softly. Deadly. And Piper's eyebrows furrow for a moment before a disbelieving laugh coughs out from between her lips.

"You don't want me to get better, do you? Why would you? You've finally got everything you wanted. You're team captain, I'm out of your way. God, what is there to lose? I'm so stupid, aren't I? I should have figured this out weeks ago!"

"What?" Alex's eyebrows furrow as she desperately tries to catch up with the blonde's maddeningly spinning thoughts.

"You're only _'helping'_ me so you can keep me from getting better because you _know_ if I go back out there I'm going to fucking_ get it_, and then your little reign as number one will be over!"

"Are you fucking serious!?" Alex exclaims, grip tightening around Piper's bicep as she stares at her like she can't quite believe what she's hearing.

"Admit it Alex. Admit it! God, I'm so stupid. I fucking thought I could trust you! But, fuck-"

Whatever else Piper had been about to say dies in her throat.

Her back connects roughly with the wall behind her and Alex's lips are upon her own and her entire brain abruptly shuts down, as if somehow attempting to reboot itself.

It's a fairly quick kiss, Alex's lips pressing into her own just long enough for her to grow still, before retreating once more.

"Alex... _what_..." she murmurs, desperately attempting to sort through the million and one thoughts currently racing through her mind.

"_Yeah_." Alex growls.

They hold one another's gaze for a long heated moment, Piper acutely aware of every inch of Alex's body that's pressed against the length of her own.

"_I_..." Piper begins again, but falters, hands falling limp under Alex's grip. Alex's forehead lands gently against her own as they continue to study one another silently, their lips growing a little bit closer with every movement, every breath.

"_Don't_ tell me I'm doing this because _I don't fucking care_," The brunette growls and Piper's eyes fall closed as the last bit of distance between them disappears, their lips meeting softly once again.

"Okay," Piper whispers finally before they give fully into silent communication.

Alex's hand drifts from Piper's wrist to slide across her cheek, pulling her her closer as they deepen the kiss. Piper's freed hand glides up Alex's arm, over her shoulders, and into her hair as her fingers tangle within the soft strands. A moan passes from Piper's lips to Alex's as they bury themselves deeper and deeper within the sensation of one another.

They lose track of just how long they spend standing in the locker rooms, leaning into one another, exploring new territory that still somehow feels _familiar_ and _right_.

They don't exactly know what it is that shifts between them, but they manage to hold onto it as their fingers tangle gently over the center console of Alex's truck, reaffirming it's sureness as they lean their foreheads together in Piper's dark driveway; a silent and promising goodbye.

Something between them shifts, but's it not quite a change, not really.

It's more like disconnected pieces finally shifting into place.

.

The pace of their routine begins to wane after that, as their collective focus slowly begins to shift.

It's a subtle change Alex only barely notices until it comes crashing over her all at once.

Piper still shows up for every practice (sticking around quietly until the field has emptied, leaving her alone with her co-captain to begin their ritual; now slightly altered to include extended sessions spent exploring one another's mouths and exposed, sweating skin), still shows up to every game (yelling anxiously from the bench anytime Alex Vause isn't there to do so _for_ her). Things continue on as normal as the end of the season approaches and the real matches begin. The matches that _count_. The matches that _mean something_.

She's been distracted lately, Alex. Caught up in the circling thoughts (circling like _vultures_) of a playoff season without Piper by her side. Their sessions have become less intense, less of a barrage of self-loathing and mad drive as the cold weighted truth of the situation begins to slowly seep with a heavy darkness into their minds.

Things aren't going to get better.

And Piper's never going to play again.

They ignore it to the best of their ability. Though Piper seems to be having an easier time of it than Alex. Which should maybe strike her as strange but Alex is so _goddamned_ distracted lately, between the impending prospect of scouters and scholarships and the thought of somehow making it through the playoff season _without Piper_.

She's lying awake in bed one night, restless but unable to _move_ and the thought suddenly hits her, barreling into her with such force that her entire world is practically knocked askew in it's wake; there's never been a moment in all her years of serious playing in which the blonde _hasn't_ been by her side.

It's a thought that leaves her terrified and aching.

Piper brings it up three days later.

They're finishing practice for the night, waiting as the team clears the field before beginning their own rituals when Alex notices Piper watching her. Her brows furrow, a silent question and Piper steps closer, intimately closer, and in a tender way. A way they'd yet to allow themselves with so many witnesses still so near.

Silent conversations pass between them before Piper finally murmurs, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Alex returns with muted confusion after a moment.

And Piper simply nods.

They spend more time focusing on Alex that night, Piper holding back and driving Alex forward through softly barked words. A role reversal of sorts that Alex is too distracted to think much of until Piper confronts it directly in the locker room an hour later.

"You're worried about the playoffs." She says softly as Alex is tugging her damp t-shirt over her head.

And Alex hesitates for an uncharacteristically drawn out moment, "of course I am. I worry about them every year. It's natural. Pre-show jitters."

"No it's not." Piper insists gently, "not like this. This is different."

Alex considers her words for a moment. Considers the truth in them. Considers lying.

Piper's hands slide over her shoulders in her silence and she draws a heavy breath, leaning into the warm body pressing in behind her. "You're _more_ than capable of this, Alex. This is everything you've been building towards. This is your year." Her whispered words beat gently against Alex's ear and she suppresses a shudder, turning to face the blonde.

"No." Her voice soft, as if speaking any louder will invite the demons she's so desperately been fighting, "this was supposed to be _our year_."

"Alex..." Piper murmurs, eyes shining with an overwhelming sort of emotion neither of them can bring themselves to place just yet. The softest breathless laugh slips from her lips and she slides a hand across Alex's hot cheek, tilting their foreheads together, "it _is_ our year. But my place isn't on the field anymore."

"It's not fair," she whispers tiredly, "you were supposed to be there with me."

"Shh," Piper hushes, cupping Alex's face and connecting their lips gently. They hold the embrace for a long moment, allowing it to anchor themselves (to one another, to the world), "I still will be, Al." She says as they pull away. "I will be _right there_ with you _every step of the way_. But you can _do this_ regardless. I _know_ you can. You're the best damn player I've ever seen. And it has nothing to do with my presence or lack-there-of. You've _always_ had that talent," a soft breathless laugh, "you're _amazing_. You've always been amazing."

A lung-full of air she didn't know she'd been holding releases from inside Alex's chest as Piper leans forward, lips pressing just under her collarbone (just above her heart) in a soft lingering kiss.

They share a shower stall that night, wrapped protectively in one another's arms as Piper's fingers thread gentle trails through Alex's hair. Drying one another in silence, and leaving their hair damp and tumbling down their backs in wet tangles, they exit the locker room arm in arm. Their fingers weave wordlessly together over the center console as they climb into Alex's truck, and Alex runs a gentle thumb over Piper's knuckles. A million screaming thoughts are racing through her head but the moment she meets Piper's blue gaze they all fall silent. Save for one.

It gives her pause. But only for a moment.

Leaning in, she cups Piper's cheek with her free hand, drawing their mouths together for a long and probing kiss.

She'll leave it go unsaid for another night, Piper's beaming smile and gentle eyes soothing her raging storms as they pull away from the school and into the night.

.

It's a natural shift after that.

Piper's no longer quite so concerned with pushing herself past her limits.

Their attention slides to Alex and the team and Piper's surprised how easy it is; _letting go_.

She's still got Alex Vause and that rolling storm of weighted anxieties always quiets under her touch, and maybe _soccer_'s never what Piper Chapman really cared about at all in the end.

.

Piper's mother never asks when they both troop through the doors on late nights after practice.

Her dad asks if they had a good practice, barely glancing up from the newspaper and nothing more is said as they climb the stairs to Piper's room.

Most often they shower quickly within the locker rooms at the school, standing side by side and sneaking appreciative glances like giddy children (or standing chest to chest, chest to back, and running their fingers and mouths over places they shouldn't be exploring so freely while still within the properties of their school). But sometimes they opt to skip the locker room and head straight for Piper's house. Alex showers first, passing Piper in the doorway as they linger for a moment, smiling softly, before slipping back into her room and the bathroom respectively.

She's mostly dressed when Piper slips back into the room, towel wrapped loosely around her still-damp body. And Alex reclines quietly on the bed to watch her dress, smiling lazily as Piper finishes and crawls up the mattress to settle tiredly beside her.

It's almost _weird_ at first, lying next to one another so gently. But it feels resoundingly _right_. As if this natural next step is just something that's always been missing from their relationship.

Piper tucks her head under Alex's chin, letting out a soft sigh as their legs entangle gently at the end of the bed, and Alex runs a tender hand through her blonde hair.

"As weird as it sounds," Piper murmurs softly into the column of Alex's throat, the barest vibrations of her voice tickling the older girl's skin lightly, "I think you've always sort of been my best friend."

Alex doesn't answer immediately, drawing a breath and pausing her hand for a moment as she turns the blonde's words over in her head. She knows what Piper means. They've both had their friends, the people they go out with, the people they unwind with, but never has anyone else managed to understand her like Piper Chapman understood her. No one has ever driven Alex to be her best like Piper Chapman has driven her to be her best. And in those dark moments, on those cold nights, when she'd meet Piper Chapman on the empty field under the glare of the moon there was no one else in the world she'd wanted to see more. They'd always brought out the best in one another, always understood the struggles of one another in a way no one else ever truly seemed to. It started as something competitive and furious but somewhere along the way they'd fallen in a sort of love with one another.

"I think you've always sort of been my best friend too." Alex murmurs, dropping her lips to Piper's forehead and tugging the blonde against her a little tighter.

A breathy laugh escapes Piper's lungs as she nuzzles deeper into Alex's chest, "we're totally fucked up, aren't we?"

Alex can't quite stop her own soft chuckle as it spills from her lips in the quiet of the bedroom, "probably, kid. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

.

They make it to the championships with a hard-fought determination.

And when Mendoza calls out the rooming arrangements as they wait to board the bus she pauses for a moment before announcing, "Vause and Chapman."

They share a quiet smile.

Piper dozes for most of trip, her head lodged tiredly against Alex's shoulder as they share a pair of earbuds connected through her ipod. Alex's thumb spins through the music aimlessly, keeping the music light and soft so as not to disturb the blonde. She watches the world pass on around them for awhile, thoughts wandering quietly, before eventually conceding to sleep, her head nestled gently atop Piper's.

It's late when they arrive, and everyone opts for heading immediately to their beds. Tiredly murmuring about all the places to explore the next day.

Piper leans heavily against Alex's back, arms around her waist, as she fumbles unsuccessfully with the keycard for a few moments before finally getting a green light and allowing them into the room. Tossing her bag by the foot of the bed, Piper drops face first into the plush blankets with a contented sigh. She watches Alex amble around for awhile from the small sliver of vision she has, drifting in and out of sleep.

Piper moans softly when Alex whispers in her ear to get changed for bed, and again when she begins to drop soft, fluttering kisses against what she can see of her face. She sighs gently as Alex moves to pull her shoes and socks from her feet, and eventually Alex coaxes her into lifting her hips and pulling down her jeans. Deciding that's as good as the blonde's going to get, Alex shuts off the lights and moves around to her end of the bed.

Piper burrows into her embrace almost immediately as she slides under the covers, and her fingers thread through blonde hair tenderly before she drops a lingering kiss against the girl's forehead.

"Goodnight, Pipes." She murmurs.

Piper hums tiredly. And they fall asleep tangled and comfortable in the center of the bed.

.

It's no cake walk.

Not that any of them every expected it would be.

But after meeting the team that'd destroyed Piper's chances of competing on the field once again, and coming out of it with a barely obtained 1-0 lead in their first match of the bracket, Alex's lowered spirits sink a little lower.

She's silent through dinner, hardly touching her food or speaking (and only to Piper the few times she _does_). The rest of the girls murmur excitedly about their traditional yearly sneak out. A night on the town in celebration of their hard earned victory, made deliciously more enticing by the college-town atmosphere and brief taste of the fleeting independent lifestyle it promises.

They depart to their rooms in groups, eagerly chattering about what the night might hold when Piper gathers her tray and stands, nudging Alex's foot with her own, "c'mon."

For a brief moment Alex thinks she's going to have to tell Piper that she doesn't exactly feel like the most cheerful company tonight, but as her gaze rises to lock with Piper's own she realizes she doesn't have to. She follows her without a word.

They end up on the pitch, dark and empty and unfamiliar in place of the memories of their _own_ field in their _own_ town but it doesn't take them long to fall into familiar step. They lose track of how long they play for, eventually conceding to their exhaustion as they meet each other silently at the sidelines. And it's something Alex needed - she _knows_, as she locks eyes with Piper, wraps a hand around her neck, fingers tangling within her hair, and pulls her lips upon her own. Piper's smiling into the kiss and Alex can't stop her own grin from breaking out at the feeling.

Their foreheads rest gently against each other as Alex finally concedes to what Piper's been showing her.

It's hard. Playing without the blonde at her side. But every time Alex's gaze falls upon the bench she's met with Piper's own, and every time she misses a shot or fucks something up or begins to growl angrily Piper's voice echoes across the field and anchors her back into focus. And every time they win a match Piper's lips paint a multitude of praise over every inch of her skin as they writhe secretly and silently under the cover of darkness and the confines of their bedrooms.

Alex knows Piper's interests never truly lied within the sport. She knows Piper excels in every other aspect of her life so thoroughly that the loss of participation in organized sports hardly throws a wrench into her plans for college or the future (they've already begun looking into which of their top choices were the closest to each other). She knows that in the end all Piper wanted was to be with_ her_. And when she took that fateful step in the locker room, pressing her lips to Piper's and showing her just how much her presence beside her _mattered_, any of Piper's remaining interest in the sport shifted to _her_.

Piper's still beside her.

And Alex has always enjoyed their private matches over the real games anyway.

.

This is how their teammates find them, giddy and giggling as they attempt to sneak back into their rooms without anyone noticing their rebellion.

A handful of the younger players are the first to stumble upon the sight, as their older teammates amble on lazily behind them.

"Hey, look!" One of them whispers, nudging at her friend rather forcefully and pointing in the direction of the field.

"Oh my god!" Another sequels, and a chorus of shushes rip through the small group.

They duck for cover, giddily observing their Captains as they stand quietly in one another's arms off the center of the field, foreheads pressed together, murmuring quietly.

"What're y'all lookin' at?" A senior player asks before abruptly being met with a barrage of shushes.

Their gazes turn towards the field and a whole new round of quiet laughter and giddy murmuring rolls through the small group ("I fuckin' knew it!", "Oh YES! Pay UP, bitch!", "Hahaaa fuckin' FINALLY!", "About damn time."), dying down again when Watson half-heartedly begins shooing everyone along ("Alright, c'mon, let 'em have their moment.") as the connection between their Captain's foreheads pull apart, in order to be replaced with their lips.

It's safe to say no one is surprised when two days later they win the championship on the heels of a last-second goal from Alex Vause - who's momentarily blind to the cheers of her team and gathering of impressed scouters as she collides with Piper Chapman, dragging her lips to her own in a wild desperate happiness.

"_I love you_." She murmurs as she pulls back, her forehead resting against Piper's, gazes locking.

A breathless laugh escapes the blonde's lips as she tucks a wayward strand of hair behind Alex's ear, "_I love you too_."

And their teammates cheer for a whole new reason as their lips collide once more an the world momentarily falls away around them.

* * *

><p>yeah so New Romantics isn't over. I'm in a much better post-season three place. the initial anger and hurt has worn off and I'm ready to throw myself back into these characters at least, if not the show itself as a whole. a sequel or two to previous chapters are in the works (one hopefully somewhat forthcoming). I'm just being very <em><strong>very<strong>_ lazy about writing, so please bear with me. hopefully this offering makes up for the state I left the story in with my last departure (orange dandelion has pointed out numerous times how "THIS IS THE END" it sounded, and personally I didn't think it was that bad, but if it came off that way to you I hope this chapter was an acceptable apology). It's not my favorite chapter, I know it's not my best and that my last couple chapters haven't been too strong, but there _are_ a handful of aspects I like about it (and really I just wanted to start getting something out again) so, once again, I hope it was at least a decent offering.


	24. Chapter 24

a sequel to chapter five because I have no direction anymore, sort of a snapshots of the following year type idea...  
><strong>[RATED M]<strong> (because we all obviously knew a sequel would pretty much be entirely about sex)

* * *

><p>It starts out easy enough, this unspoken... <em>thing<em>. Not quite friends with benefits but not quite anything else.

"We're not friends with benefits," Piper tells Nicky at one point, "because Alex Vause is not my friend."

Nicky just shakes her head and laughs, "whatever you say, Chapman."

But it starts out easily enough, and they fall into it with a disturbingly easy sense of routine.

.

The first time they sleep together, _really_ sleep together (as in spending an extended handful of hours unconscious next to one another), is more of a bumbling accident than anything.

It happens at a party. One of Nicky's parties. To be exact.

They'd managed to find one another in the crowd and had gotten way drunker than either had intended.

"Well holy fuck," Nicky mumbles with a laugh, pausing abruptly in the doorway to her bedroom.

The figures within her bed stir slightly, eyebrows furrowing gently at the intrusion and bodies curling a little tighter against one another. She studies them for a moment, taking stock of the scene they make, tangled against one another and the sheets of her bed. And she can't quite fight the gentle grin that tugs at her lips... or stop her fingers as they slip into her pocket and close around her phone... or keep her arm from raising to aim the camera at the delicate scene before her.

She'll let them be for a few more hours.

Later, when the sun has climbed high into the sky and she's managed to work away the majority of her _own_ hangover she climbs the stairs once more, and bangs open the door with a loud call of "ALRIGHT, UP AN'AT'EM SLEEPING BEAUTIES! IT'S TIME FOR ALL _NOT_-FUCKBUDDIES TO VACATE THE PREMISES!"

She'd be lying if she said she didn't take the slightest pleasure in the way the blonde jerks abruptly, startled by the sudden intrusion, or the way the brunette's entire face screws tightly, pained by the loud exclamation.

"What the fuck- what- Nicky?" Piper splutters, gradually regaining her senses in short jerking chunks. Nicky watches patiently as the woman realizes her own nakedness, quickly tugging the comforter all the way up to her chin. And Nicky laughs gleefully as the action alerts her to the other naked form tangled beneath the sheets. Jumping aside with the sudden realization that she's not alone, Piper peers blearily at the curled body next to her.

A low continuous groaning sound begins to emit from the pile of blankets and Piper leans a little closer, "... Alex?"

"_Mmm_." She all but growls, burying her face deeper into the sheets.

"Congratulations." Nicky grins, leaning against her dresser and watching the scene unfold with unabashed glee, "you two got drunk and _still_ wound up with each other out of the hundred people at the party last night. 'At's some dedication."

Her booming laugh echoes down the hall as Piper flops to her back against the mattress, raising the heels of her hands to her eyes.

It does nothing for their slowly growing hangovers as Alex pulls the comforter over her head in an attempt to convince herself this is is not happening.

And Nicky grins excitedly all throughout what she giddily dubs The Most Awkward Breakfast In History.

But it's only the beginning.

.

"Ugh. You put me in your phone as Fuckface? What is this, high school?" Alex asks from the bed, holding Piper's cellphone over her face.

They're in her apartment (it's closer to Piper's store) and Piper's just pulled herself from the bed to begin getting ready to head back to work. She'd been three seconds away from tearing her hair out over an unexpectedly delayed delivery for their new line when Alex had called her away for an extended lunch break. It hadn't been a hard decision to make at that point.

"It's indicative of the nature of our relationship," Piper murmurs, clasping the button of her jeans and moving to sit at the edge of the bed.

"Oh really?" Alex drawls, pulling the phone just out of the blonde's reach as she moves to grab it.

"_Yes_." Piper husks, leaning a little further over the teasing woman, "I spend a lot of time sitting on your stupid... fucking, smug... fucking face."

A breathy laugh escapes Alex's lungs as they squabble over the object, grabbing one another's wrists in an attempt to gain leverage. They grow still as Piper finally manages to close her hand around it, chest heaving tantalizingly over Alex's face.

"Mmm..." she hums, admiring the view before Piper's free hand rises to knock gently under her chin.

"Nuh uh," she murmurs, pulling Alex's chin up until their eyes meet, "I am already late enough as it is."

"No fun." Alex teases in a whisper, hand raising to drag a thumb across one of her protruding nipples.

Piper manages to choke back a threatening moan, but fails to catch the resulting shiver.

"Life isn't all fun and games, Ms. Vause. Some of us have to schlep for a living."

"_Mmmmm_..." Alex hums out once more, a rumbling sound somewhere between confirmation and discontentment as she stretches amidst the sheets. Piper pulls herself away from the bed, bending to retrieve her discarded t-shirt and slipping it over her head, "I _paid_ my schlepping dues, Ms. Chapman. We didn't all grow up rich and carefree."

"_Ha_," Piper deadpans, sitting upon the edge of the mattress once again to pull on a shoe, "rich; maybe. Carefree; no. Contrary to popular belief, money does not fix everything."

Alex hums again, softer this time, and shifts to her side, trailing her fingers gently down Piper's spine, "no, you're right. It doesn't."

She watches, transfixed, as the pads of her fingers slip beneath the hem of Piper's t-shirt to trace delicate patterns along the curves of her skin. And miraculously Piper allows it for a moment, watching as Alex's eyelids begin to grow heavy with a lazy sort of fatigue.

"Enjoy laying in bed all day," Piper teases, smirking as Alex's green gaze slides to her own.

"Enjoy schleppin'," Alex returns, lazy grin tugging at her lips.

.

She's in the middle of a debatably unexciting date when her phone vibrates.

If she hadn't already been mentally weighing the pros and cons of the man before her, Piper never would have looked at her phone. Or that's what she tells herself. She's been having a bit of a harder time ignoring the vibrations and chimes of incoming messages since this _thing_ with Alex Vause began (though she'd never admit that out loud).

She swipes at the screen absently, the brunt of her attention still seemingly on her physical companion.

**- u up?**

The grammatical structural integrity of Alex's messages vary depending on the hour, or her libido. Piper muses idly on which might be driving the older woman's fingers across the keys tonight. She finds herself hoping it's the latter.

She'd already been entertaining the idea of taking the man home. His personality left something to be desired but his face wasn't half bad and she's been feeling a little _needy_ lately. It's been twelve days since she last heard from Alex and it's not like they're in a relationship or anything, but Piper hadn't exactly had the time to find someone else to ease her desires in the last several weeks.

**maybe. -**

Her attention returns to the man before her as her hand moves from the screen of her phone to the stem of her glass. Laughing at something he says, she briefly entertains the idea of taking him home once more. It's been awhile since she's had a man, and she'd be lying if she said she weren't a little pissed at Alex's mysterious disappearance and her subsequently _dry_ week.

But Alex has always been good at reeling the hook in.

**NEW SNAPCHAT FROM FUCKFACE**

And loathe as Piper was to admit it, she'd been hooked a long time ago.

Eyeing the notification thoughtfully as the man drones on beside her she once again ponders the idea of leaving Alex out to dry.

Her phone vibrates again, briefly catching her companion's attention and she smiles at him good-naturedly. It's enough to quell the question in his eyes, but she waits until he's comfortably speaking again to dart another glance at the small screen.

**- dont ignore me Piper**

**did you ever consider the fact that I might be busy? -**

Tapping out her quick reply she returns her gaze to the man with an apologetic smile.

"Needy grandparent," she offers, and the man softens with a smile and nod and begins to tell her about his relationship with his _own_ grandma. She thinks she might have found him endearing once upon a time, and tries not to think about what it means in hindsight.

**- seriously? i just got back from the worst business trip ever and ur really gonna leave me hanging?**

Piper smiles at that.

Her date assumes it's for him.

She allows it.

Conversation steers into something she's slightly more interested in and she finds herself getting lost in a friendly debate for a few minutes before her phone buzzes atop the bar counter once more.

**- alright. if thats how u wanna be. ill just be here. in my satin sheets. alone. and naked. touching myself. and thinking of u.**

She can't quite stop herself from running her tongue along her upper teeth. She knows what Alex is up to. _Alex_ knows how to win the war.

**NEW SNAPCHAT FROM FUCKFACE**

**- since i know ur not gonna open that ill just tell u its a picture of my huge... inviting... bed. so empty. and cold. also my tits. so lonely. and warm ;)**

She shakes her head and bites back a grin. Because Alex Vause does not deserve her amusement. Not just yet.

**NEW SNAPCHAT FROM FUCKFACE**

**- and this one is my luxurious sheets. and my long enticing legs. and my hot wet pussy. all 4 u.**

She squares her shoulders, eyes falling closed as she regroups, regathers her resolve and calms the fire Alex seems to be stoking between her legs.

A new picture comes in, straight to her lock screen as Alex has seemingly abandoned waiting for Piper to open her snapchats. Dropping her hand to the bar quickly and casually, she laughs animatedly at whatever joke her date has just made as she slides the phone out of eyesight.

She'd only got a second's worth of a glance, but it was enough to know the picture Alex had just sent was very _very_ explicit.

She engages with the man for a moment, feeling the telltale vibrations of her phone within her tightening grip. She can't quite manage to shake the image of Alex's last message. She can't decide if she wants to kill her or fuck her. She thinks she might settle for both.

"Excuse me for a moment," she murmurs to her date as conversation lulls and he takes a pull of his drink. Nodding to the back wall and the entrance to the restrooms she continues, "I'll be right back."

He smiles, nodding, and she almost feels bad for him for a moment. But her phone vibrates once more and sets off towards the restrooms with more determination than she'd like to examine.

**I am on a DATE. -**

She sends immediately upon reaching the restrooms, ignoring the slew of images Alex has sent in her wake.

**- he or a she?**

Her brows furrow studying the strange response.

**what's it matter? -**

**- just curious**

**he -**

There's a lull, as if Alex is thinking over her response, before those three little dots appear once more, indicating she's typing.

An image comes through first; Alex, topless, stretched across the sheets of her bed, and looking directly into the camera in the way she _knows_ will _ruin_ Piper.

**- get rid of him.**

Biting back an angry growl, Piper screws her eyes shut, attempting to find her resolve. It's been too uncomfortably long since she last found the time to go on an actual date. It's been too uncomfortably long since she's managed to sleep with anyone other than _Alex_.

Her phone vibrates.

**- Piper.**

She grits her teeth.

**- you know I'll satisfy you the way you need tonight.**

Shaking her head, she thumps a fist against the bathroom door angrily.

**give me 15 -**

"Ugh." She grunts, twenty minutes later, hips flexing desperately atop Alex's thighs, "I hate that you always _do this_."

"Do what?" Alex murmurs, dragging her lips across the hollow of Piper's collarbone.

"This infuriating thing you do where you fucking act like it's all part of your _plan_."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Alex grins, nipping at the space between her neck and shoulder.

"Ugh, I fucking _hate_ y-" Piper growls, but it tampers off into a keening whine as Alex shifts her hand and re-angles her hips, driving her fingers deeper into Piper's velvety warmth. "_Oh my god_," Piper breathes, "_I hate that you're this good at this_."

"'S all about having a good partner, babe," Alex smirks, "unsurprising you've never experienced good sex before. You always seemed a little vanilla."

"Shut the fuck up," Piper snaps.

.

"Chelsea Dagger?" Piper asks, Alex's phone in her hand, "_Really_?"

"What?" Alex grins, glancing over her shoulder at the less than impressed blonde, "you don't like it?"

"No, I don't fucking _like it_."

"It's a good song," she teases, biting back a grin.

"Yeah, I'm so touched it reminds you of me." Piper scoffs, throwing the phone towards the brunette with no real force.

"I almost made you Dirty Little Secret, but I dunno... it just felt so uncreative, y'know?"

"I'm glad you've put so much thought into this."

"Well I mean we can't all be expected to rival the creative genius of _Fuckface_."

"Shut up."

...

"I will just have you know, that _you_ call _me_ way more than _I_ call _you_."

"I never hear you complaining."

.

**- u home?**

Piper's gaze flicks from the screen of her laptop to the unexpected message. A welcomed break from several hours spent pouring over business reports. Alex was supposed to be away on some sort of work related trip for the week, and Piper's eyebrows furrow in soft confusion at the message.

** 11pm on a friday night? -**

she smirks

**you must think I have some sort of life -**

Allowing Alex a few moments to read and respond, she takes the opportunity to glance over a few more numbers.

**- skype?**

It's not a terribly hard decision, choosing Alex over work. Or at least, that's what Piper tells herself as she minimizes her various work documents and brings up the messaging system. She'd choose just about anything over work if it meant a break right now. _Including_ Alex Vause (not _'especially'_). Her speakers chime with the familiar tone of an incoming call and Piper takes the opportunity to stretch as she waits for a connection to establish.

"Oh. You weren't joking about not having a life," Alex laughs as face finally appears upon Piper's screen.

"If you just called to ridicule me I can always go back to working." Piper warns.

"You know that's not why I called." Alex grins as her voice takes on that tone that sends shivers down Piper's spine.

"Feelin' a little lonely?" She coos teasingly.

"More like lazy and horny."

"Mm." Piper hums, shuffling the work documents strewn across her bed to the side.

"My nipples have been hard as rocks all day." Alex murmurs, palm skating heavily across her chest.

She's in the process of pulling her t-shirt over her head when Piper's attention returns to the screen. Her bra quickly follows and Alex lets out a deep and pleasant moan as her palms return to graze over her now uncovered chest.

"Jeez..." Piper murmurs, attention fixed on Alex's hands as they caress her creamy flesh, "you sound like a porn star. When's the last time you got laid?"

"Umm..." the brunette ponders, fingers plucking absently at the stiff peaks of her nipples, "when's the last time we fucked?"

"Seriously?" Piper asks in surprise.

"I have been very busy." Alex defends, "and _very_ stressed."

"I can see that..." Piper murmurs, lost in thought.

"Yeah. And now I'm very _horny_. So. Y'know. Feel free to join in whenever."

Snapping out of her light daze, Piper sits up, pulling the thin t-shirt she'd thrown on over her head.

"Oooh... no bra. Were you expecting my call?" Alex teases.

"_Ha_. No. I told you, I'm already turned in for the night."

"Sure, kid." Alex winks, and Piper shakes her head, biting back a begrudging grin.

"Have I mentioned how attractive your ego is? Because I'm once again floored by it's boundlessness."

"You have." Alex grins, meeting her eyes before dropping her gaze to the newly exposed skin of Piper's chest. "Mmm..." she moans softly, "regardless though, it looks like _someone's_ happy to see me."

"God." Piper murmurs, "I'm gonna need you to reign it in if either of us expect to get through this."

"Okay, alright, my lips are sealed." Alex teases, settling further into her own bed.

Mimicking her shuffling, Piper wriggles a bit until she's comfortable amidst her own pillows and blankets, hands dancing lightly across the plains of her chest. She watches Alex's fingers as they twist and tug at her nipples and finds herself mirroring the motions. Her bottom lip is trapped between her teeth when she sneaks another glance at Alex's face and the sight, coupled with the feeling of her own fingers across her chest cause Piper's back to arch lightly.

"Mmmm..." Alex hums gently, her own chest arching slightly out, "you wet?"

Piper diverts a hand down the length of her body, sliding it out of screen and into the pair of panties she's still wearing. Alex watches the muscles in her arm flex for a moment, Piper's eyes blinking closed with a slow heaviness. Her hand returns to hover before her eyes and the screen and she rubs the pads of her fingers together, allowing Alex to note the evidence of her arousal.

"Mmhm," she nods lightly, "are you?"

Alex's own hand makes the journey, even though she's already well aware of her own state of arousal. She gets lost in the sensation for a moment, before withdrawing her fingers and holding them out towards her screen. Piper's pupils dilate at the sight and Alex finds herself grinning giddily.

"I wanna see." Piper whispers, and Alex knows she's barely retaining control over her voice.

Sitting up further, she places the laptop a ways away from her on the bed, angling herself and the screen for the perfect view. Piper hums in unrestrained appreciation as Alex's cunt comes into view.

"Fuck, Alex." She murmurs, fingers still pulling at her nipples as she eyes the woman's wetness.

"I told you," Alex chuckles, "it's been awhile."

"Ugh." Piper scoffs suddenly, "why they fuck did you have to go away on a business trip. This is why I hate sexting."

"Like what you see?" Alex goads, dragging a finger along her opening.

"Too much." Piper moans, "I wish I was there to indulge in that."

"Don't worry, there'll be plenty next time I see you."

"Finger yourself." Piper commands softly, gaze locked heatedly on Alex's fingers.

She doesn't disobey.

Piper watches as Alex's hips begin to flex, meeting the strokes of her fingers, and her own hand begins burning a slow path down her stomach. Alex's head falls back, exposing the sharp tendons of her neck as she lets out another deep moan. Her eyes snap open just as Piper's fingers slide beneath the hem of her panties.

"Hey!" She barks suddenly, movements stilling, "nuh uh! Share with the class there, Chapman."

Heaving a frustrated sigh (she'd been so close) Piper pushes back the laptop and sits up, repositioning herself to match Alex.

"Mm..." Alex hums, watching her shuffle, "cute panties."

"Shut up." Piper murmurs, sliding them down her hips and flinging them off the bed. Her fingers return to her heat without preamble and Alex arches an eyebrow at her eagerness.

"Little eager there, Pipes?"

A moan slips from Piper's lips, her head falling back, as her fingers slide in deep, "it's been awhile."

"_Really_?" Alex asks, intrigued, "How long?"

"Mmmm... when was the last time we..." Piper trails off, sheepish smirk stretching across her lips.

A boisterous laugh escapes Alex's lungs, "god, we're pathetic aren't we?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

They share a grin, gentler than either of them would have liked, and Piper lowers her head to fight a blush as Alex's gaze shifts across the room, a quiet cough echoing from her lips.

"Do what I do," Alex murmurs when their eyes meet again.

It doesn't take long for either of them to finish after that. They're both working on regaining their breathing as Alex pulls her fingers from herself and wipes them disinterestedly on the bedspread.

"Oh, god, Alex, gross." Piper pants.

"What?" The brunette asks in genuine confusion.

"That's a _hotel bed_, ugh, it makes me wonder how many _other_ people have wiped their excrements all over it."

"Um, _they wash the sheets_," Alex returns with a slight scowl, "and thirty minutes ago you were lamenting the loss of my _'excrements'_."

"That's different." Piper mutters, casting her gaze to the side of her bed where her discarded work papers lay forgotten. She'd intended to dive back in after her call with Alex but the warm feeling that was currently pulsing through her body told her she was probably done for the night.

"Oh my god, you are so ridiculous." Alex mutters, pulling herself from the bed and disappearing from view.

Piper eyes the empty screen with a slight pout before heaving herself up and gathering the discarded papers. Depositing them on her night stand, she turns her attention back to the laptop and begins closing the programs she'd minimized earlier. She hadn't gotten as much as she'd wanted to accomplished tonight but... Polly would understand.

"When're you back in town?" She inquires absently.

Alex's muffled voice answers from somewhere off screen, "Tuesday."

"Hm..." Piper hums.

"Is that a hint to keep my schedule open?" Alex asks as she reappears in the frame, toothbrush hanging from her mouth.

"If that's how you wanna take it." Piper says lazily, propping herself up on her elbow.

Eyes trailing over what she can still see of Piper's skin, Alex softly asks "you gettin' back to work?"

"Mm... no, I think I'm done for the night," Piper sighs, eyes trailing absently across her bedroom in thought, "I'm feeling rather pleasant right now and I don't really feel like ruining it." Her gaze flicks towards Alex at the woman's silence, and a soft smirk touches her face, "stop looking at me like that, we're done for the night."

Pulling the toothbrush from her lips Alex raises an eyebrow, "you sure?"

"Yes." Piper growls softly, "save it for Tuesday."

"Mmmm..." Alex groans, "you're so unfair."

Letting out a soft laugh, Piper reaches up to close her laptop, "_goodnight, Alex_."

"Goodnight Piper."

.

"You two and your weird aversion to the term 'girlfriends'," Nicky mumbles around a mouthful of food as she and Alex stroll down the sidewalk.

"We are not girlfriends."

"Oh no?"

"No! That woman is not my _friend_."

Laughing quietly to herself, Nicky shakes her head in wonder, "you two are fuckin' unbelievable."

.

She's awoken by the sound of her phone vibrating against her nightstand.

Reaching blindly for it, Alex grunts in agitation as the sudden light briefly blinds her.

**3:17AM**

"_Mm_." She groans tiredly, squinting at the name of her late night caller.

**CHELSEA DAGGER**

furrowing her brows Alex swipes her thumb over _accept_ and buries her face in her pillows.

"What?"

"_ALEXXX_!" Piper's gratingly loud voice exclaims and Alex cringes at the unexpected volume.

"Piper. It's 3am. I get that booty calls are kind of our _thing_, but don't you think we're a little _old_ for anything after _12_?"

"ALEX." She states again, and Alex once again winces at the decibel.

"Christ, Pipes, can you lower the volume, I'm literally half asleep!"

"Sorry!" Piper's voice comes in at a forceful whisper now, "Alex!"

"What!?" Alex exclaims finally.

"Alex, where are you?"

"I told you, I'm fucking asleep, in my bed. Piper... did you need something, like is this an emergency because I'm really fucking tired and I don't have time for whatever the fuck this is right now."

"I'm outside." Piper states in that shouting whisper.

"You're... what?"

"I'M OUTSIDE." She says again, louder.

"Fuck, I _heard_ you, I meant what do you mean you're outside?"

"I'm outside your apartment."

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Alex turns to glance towards her bedroom door, "_what_?"

"ALEX I'M OUTSIDE YOUR APARTMENT PLEASE LET ME IN." Piper exclaims in a staggering disjointed tone.

A muffled horn sounds through the speaker and Alex immediately throws her covers off and rises from her bed. Grabbing a robe she tugs it over her pajamas as she stalks towards her front door, "Piper where are you?"

"Outside." Piper states.

Growling softly, Alex pinches at the skin between her eyebrows, pressing the phone between her ear and shoulder as she leans to pull on her boots, "I mean _where_ outside?"

"Um... outside... the place with the buttons." Piper explains, and Alex can picture the girl gazing around absently for some sort of identifying maker, "I forgot which button was _yours_ though, so... I called you!"

"So you're out front of the building?" Alex asks, grabbing her keys and swinging into the hallway.

"Mmmmm... yes." Piper murmurs.

"Okay, Piper, stay there, I'm coming to get you."

"Alex it's _cold_."

"Piper, _stay where you are_." She skips waiting for the elevator and takes the stairs two by two, attempting to keep the blonde on the line.

The entryway is empty when she pushes through the first set of doors and she quickly moves towards the second set, gazing out into the sidewalk for any sign of blonde hair. Spotting Piper leaning against the building a few feet away she sighs in relief, ending the call.

"Piper!" She calls, and the younger woman turns suddenly, eyes alighting upon spotting her.

"Alex! You came!"

No longer worried about the blonde's well-being Alex allows a soft laugh to escape her lungs, "I did. What're you doin' here, kid?"

"Mmm..." Piper hums, ambling slowly towards her, and Alex's growing suspicions about the blonde's state of intoxication are confirmed as she sways slightly, "I was in the neighborhood, and I thought... I know... _Alex_ lives here. Somewhere. And _I'm_ going to _visit_ her."

She stumbles slightly as she finally reaches her and Alex darts a hand out to steady the girl.

"Woah there," Alex remarks softly.

"Alex." Piper starts again with an air of seriousness, and Alex's eyebrows raise as she awaits the next statement, "it's _cold_."

Biting her lips to keep back the laugh that bubbles from her chest, Alex ducks her head and nods, "let's get you inside, kid."

Getting Piper from the lobby to her apartment proves to be a more difficult task than Alex has anticipated, as they second they reach the stairwell Piper becomes overwhelmingly handsy.

"Okay," Alex laughs, collecting her wrists for the third time as her hands attempt to slip inside her robe and down her pants, "_wait until we make it into my apartment_, Pipes."

"Mmm... No fun." Piper pouts. But she forgets her discontentment seconds later as she once again attempts to coerce Alex into a quickie three steps later.

Grabbing the girl firmly by the hips, Alex begins to forcefully steer them up the remainder of the stairs, "Piper Chapman, march your ass up these stairs right now."

Piper pauses at the sudden forcefulness of her tone, fixing the older woman with a confused and unimpressed gaze.

"March!" Alex barks.

"You just wanna stare at my ass." Piper mutters petulantly, and Alex bites back another grin.

They make it up a flight and a half before she begins resisting again.

"_Piper_." Alex pushes, "Go. Keep moving. C'mon. Let's go."

"You're the bossiest person I've ever met," Piper murmurs, trudging onward once more, "no wonder you don't have a girlfriend, bossy."

"I don't have a girlfriend because I'm too busy looking after _your_ sorry ass."

Piper halts abruptly, whirling to face the woman in a less than graceful pivot as her eyes narrow almost comically. Alex's own eyes narrow as she jerks her head back under the blonde's suddenly fierce gaze.

"I _knew_ you were staring at my ass," Piper grumbles petulantly before turning to continue her journey, "pervert."

Alex doesn't quite manage to bite back her laugh.

She can't say the girl's _wrong_.

She only removes her hands from Piper's waist once they reach her door, leaving the intoxicated blonde to lean heavily against the wall as she watches Alex fumble with her keys. A soft look crosses Piper's face and Alex can't help but shoot her several amused glances as she flips through her collection for the right one.

"What?" She murmurs gently, sliding the intended key into the lock.

"You're pretty." Piper answers, voice just as soft, and Alex's hands pause briefly.

"Yeah?" She asks, turning the knob and glancing back towards the blonde.

"Mmhmmm..." Piper nods.

A soft chuckle slips from Alex's chest and a genuine smile tugs at her lips. Reaching out to tuck a wayward strand of blonde hair behind Piper's ear she softly mutters, "_you're pretty too_." She's rewarded with the gentlest smile she's ever seen, and Alex vaguely notes the increasingly familiar sensation of her insides going all warm. "C'mon," she murmurs gently, holding out an arm and Piper snuggles up to her instantly.

She's seen Piper drunk before, but never quite like this. And never while she herself is entirely sober. She's all soft words and gentle touches and very _very_ clingy. It's something that's annoyed her on more than one occasion from more than one girl, but with Piper there's something strangely endearing about it, and Alex finds herself quietly amused and returning the gentle affection.

They stumble happily towards her bedroom and she drops Piper heavily onto the bed before pulling away to fetch a glass of water and some aspirin.

"Noooooo!" Piper whines as she takes a step away from the bed.

"I'm just going to get you some water," Alex murmurs. But Piper is already struggling to regain her footing and follow her from the room, "Pipes..." she laughs, "stay here, I'll just be a minute."

"No." Piper pouts again and only relaxes when Alex returns to lower her back to the bed.

"Fine." She murmurs, pulling off her robe, and Piper smiles to herself in victory.

Working together they manage to strip Piper of her outerwear and wriggle under the covers.

They share a few slow and lingering kisses as their limbs curl around one another but Alex can sense the exhaustion taking over the blonde.

"No one's gonna call the cops and report a missing blonde woman tonight are they?" Alex murmurs stroking back Piper's hair.

"Hmm?" Piper murmurs, eyebrows furrowing.

"You didn't disappear on some friends or a date or anything when you came here, did you?"

"No." Piper sighs, pressing her lips to Alex's once more for a deep and thorough kiss, "family dinner." She mutters as they pull away, "I was suppose't stay at my parents but... I didn' want to. so. I called a cab and came here. Are you mad?"

"Nah, I'm not mad," Alex smiles, "I started the evening alone and now I've got a hot blonde in my bed. What's there to be mad about?"

Another gentle smile graces Piper's face as a light blush tints her cheeks. She buries her face in Alex's neck, depositing a string of sloppy kisses as Alex strokes her back in long gentle trails. Slowly the affections begin to tamper out and Piper's face stills against her neck. She pulls back with a yawn, settling onto her own pillow to watch Alex quietly for a moment.

"I'm sorry," She mumbles on the end of a sleepy sigh, burying her face gently against her pillow.

"What're you sorry for?" Alex asks softly, hooking a finger around a stray blonde curl and tucking it behind an ear.

"I dunno," Piper sighs again. She's fighting a losing battle against sleep and Alex can't quite help the small smile that breaks across her lips at the sight, "I always feel like I've 'lot to 'pologize for when I visit my parents. So... whatever 'pologies I may owe you... m'sorry."

The smile slips from her face as she studies the blonde, taking in her slurred admission. Fingers continuing to thread gently through the hair at Piper's temple, she ponders the girl's words. A soft hum escapes Piper's chest as her sluggish movements gradually still, but Alex's fingers keeping up their soothing motions all the while.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Piper." She whispers eventually, "not with me."

.

Piper smirks to herself as she hears the locks turn and the door click closed.

"I was on a date," Alex growls, appearing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Must not've been a very good one, seeing as it only took you twenty minutes to get here."

"It's a little hard to think about taking someone home when there's already another girl naked in your bed."

"Yeah..." Piper murmurs, watching the clothes fall from Alex's body like a hawk eyeing it's prey, "I imagine that might be hard to explain."

"You bitch," Alex laughs, sinking to her knees atop the comforter.

"You love it," Piper whispers as the brunette crawls over top of her.

"You _wish_." Alex returns just as softly before closing the gap between their mouths.

.

"Who's Fuckface?" Polly asks, breaking Piper from her thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Someone named Fuckface is desperately attempting to reach you."

Piper's gaze darts towards her friend and the phone in her hand. "Oh," she says, making to grab the vibrating object before Polly pulls her hand back suddenly.

"Nuh uh, who is it?"

"Pol-" Piper starts, an edge to her tone. It's not often that Alex actually _calls_ and she finds her interest piqued at the uncharacteristic gesture. But Polly meets her glare with a stubborn look of her own, eyebrows raised and face stony. "It's Alex!" Piper growls, taking advantage of her friend's momentary pause to snatch back her phone.

"Alex?" Polly says, confusion evident in both her face and voice, "Wait like _Nicky's_ Alex?"

"Yes." Piper mumbles, bringing the phone to her ear.

"Like the woman you _hate_, Alex!?" But Polly's question goes unanswered as Piper murmurs softly into her phone and slips through the door and onto the porch, her voice calling out just as Piper shuts the door; "Piper Chapman we are talking about the second you finish that call!"

"Sorry," Piper breathes, and Alex's quiet laugh echos in response.

"Are you sure you're free?"

"Yeah, no, I'm just at Polly's, what's up? You don't usually call."

Something similar to a groan crackles down the line as Alex gathers her words, "_Yeeeah_... I'm kinda at this work... _thing_, which y'know is fine and whatever, but there's a certain client I_ may_ have made the mistake of sleeping with at one point, who turned out to be one of those really clingy 'can't take the hint about a _one_ night stand' types." Piper's soft laughter rings down the line and Alex can't quite manage to catch the grin that begins to tug at her lips at the sound, "She's _kind of_ been hounding me all night and I figured if I made some sort of call I'd get a few minutes peace. Nichols is out on some date tonight so... you were my next best option."

"Wooow," Piper drawls playfully, "second to Nicky. I don't know if I should be insulted or honored."

"Shut up," Alex laughs softly, and this time it's Piper's turn to grin.

"What kind of work thing is it?" Piper asks, settling into one of the chairs.

"Mm... just some... stupid... low key... cocktail party." Alex murmurs, "a chance to rehook all the old investors and impress all the new ones."

"Sounds super fun," Piper deadpans.

And Alex's tone matches it's jubilance, "oh it is. So much. I'm having the time of my life."

"I can tell!" Piper laughs, "I've never heard your voice so filled with enthusiasm before, I'm almost frightened."

"Yeah well few things get me going like the high stakes game of curating."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Piper's amused laughter rings down the line once more and Alex bites her lip as the grin threatens to grow larger.

"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?" She asks softly.

"Why," Piper grins, "do you need me to come down there and tell this woman to back off."

"No," Alex laughs, "I just... speaking of things that get me going... have come to associate your voice with the idea of sex, and it's kiiiinda startin' to do it for me right now."

"Do you need me to whisper filthy promises into your ear while you touch yourself?" Piper teases, "are you alone? Because this kind of behavior could potentially cost you your exciting job."

"No," Alex laughs again, "I'm not, and you're right, it could, which is why I ask if you're free _later_, say in like... an hour or so?"

"I've got nothing too exciting planned," Piper drawls.

"If I text you the address do you wanna swing by and pick me up?"

"Well. It'll get me out of an uncomfortable conversation with Polly I'm not sure I'm ready to have."

"Great, so it's a win win," Alex grins.

"That it is," Piper murmurs, a soft smile dancing on her lips.

"I'll see you in an hour then."

"You'd better. If I get there and find out some persistent woman has finally managed to whisk you away with the promise of more exciting curator talk I'm going to be a very unhappy camper."

And Alex barks out a loud genuine laugh, voice still tinged with chuckling amusement as she says, "I'll try to keep it in my pants until you get here."

"Good," Piper whispers softly, "one hour."

"One hour."

.

They're going on a year and trying not to think about it when Piper finally makes the observation they've been studiously avoiding.

It'd been a night of continuous sex, round after round bleeding into round after round when Piper finally pulls herself from the bed to begin gathering her clothes. They're both lost in their thoughts, Alex still tangled in the sweaty sheets as she studies the ceiling.

Trying not to think too hard about what tonight meant (it hadn't been a celebration, there was no such thing as an anniversary between fuck buddies), Piper's movements gradually begin to still as her thoughts spill into dangerous territory. She can't remember the last time she's slept with someone _other than_ Alex. She can't remember the last date she's gone on that didn't somehow end with her tangled up in _Alex_. She can't remember the last time she's _thought about_ spending any sort of time like this with anyone other than _Alex_. Suddenly her mind is racing to come up with the last time Alex mentioned a date or a one stand or anything having to do with anyone other than _Piper_.

"Alex..." Piper murmurs, stilling her movements and sinking to the foot of the bed, "are we... monogamous?"

A silence stretches between them as Alex draws a breath, wets her lips, "fuck."

Piper turns around now, eyeing the older woman with a confused and slightly alarmed expression, "I can't remember the last time I slept with someone else..."

Alex can't help the disbelieving laugh that huffs out from between her lips, "me either."

"Oh my god..." Piper whispers, turning back to face the front of her room, "we're girlfriends."

They're silent for a moment, the weight of Piper's words hanging heavy in the silence of the room before the bed begins to shake slightly. When it doesn't let up, Piper turns once more, curious as to what the brunette is doing, and her brows furrow in slight confusion.

The heels of Alex's hands are digging into her eyes, fingers just lightly brushing the edge of her hairline as her body shakes with increasingly heavy tremors. And for a moment Piper's worried Alex is _crying_ before she draws a sudden breath and let's loose another quiet "_fuck_." And suddenly it's all too clear that she's_ laughing_. Deep guttural belly laughs that begin to grow louder and louder until Piper can't help but join her.

And then they're both laughing wildly.

Alex's hands fall from her face her eyes meet Piper's and their laughter swells once more before finally tapering off.

"C'mere..." she murmurs, extending a hand towards the blonde, who eagerly takes it as she scoots up the bed to tuck herself gently against the brunette. "God..." Alex murmurs, as they regain the last of their breath.

"Yeah..." Piper answers, and they almost lapse into a fit of giggles all over again.

"So... I guess... this pretty much makes it official then..."

"I suppose it does." Piper breathes, relieved that Alex seems just as hesitant to make a big deal out of it as she.

"Hmmm..." Alex hums, threading her fingers lightly through Piper's hair (and Piper doesn't even attempt to catch the answering hum that slips from her own lips at the gesture), "_girlfriends_..."

"Girlfriends." Piper whispers back, her own fingers tracing patterns against Alex's exposed collarbone.

"I think I could get _used_ to it."

She's grinning when Piper tilts her head up to meet her gaze, and Piper knows she's very well sporting her own matching one. "Me too."

They lean in together, lips meeting halfway in a gentle sort of caress. A gesture they've shared a thousand times before, yet somehow still feels like the first time. Alex's lips pull into a smile against Piper's, and they pull apart just enough for their gazes to meet. Raising a hand to slide across her jaw, tucking a wayward strand of blonde hair behind her ear, Alex mumbles, "Don't tell Nicky."

And they can't quite stop the giggles that begin to bubble up once more.

And they think they might just be okay with that.

* * *

><p>so, nothing very weighty, I know this chapter was ridiculously light and slightly disjointed, but it's been awhile since I've done something this carefree and non-angsty, so it kind of felt right to leave it so airy. I've gotten several requests to make a sequel to this particular chapter (especially from a certain friend of mine who would not rest until she pushed me into it), I keep saying there are at least two other sequels in the works to two other chapters but they're a very slow process apparently and inspiration for this one struck me quite suddenly out of literally <em>nowhere<em> so I chased motivation while I could.

on a completely unrelated note I'm probably deleting the tumblr account I had under this name because I've got a personal one I use more often and I honestly keep forgetting I opened one for this account anyway. I know a few of you follow me on there so I felt like it's only fair to give you a heads up about it.


	25. Chapter 25

_a Hades/Persephone AU_ (a semi-modern presentation with a semi-classic twist)  
>(because time periods are a bitch) &amp; peer pressure is a bitch <strong>[M RATING] [for sex junk]<strong>

* * *

><p>She'd never intended to fall in love.<p>

She'd never intended to make an actual relationship out of it (however unconventional a relationship it might be).

She'd never intended for a lot of things to happen when she first approached Piper Chapman in the gardens that day.

But then again, Alex Vause's intent towards _most things_ changed the day her fascinations fell upon the daughter of summer.

_She'd never intended to fall so hard_.

.

Piper Chapman was radiant.

(which was to be expected from the daughter of harvest and the sky itself)

She was pure, innocent in a way that captured fascination and demanded attention.

And Alex Vause's was not the first interest to be spiked by the radiance of Piper Chapman.

But Piper Chapman was the first to do so so thoroughly.

.

She'd never known freedom.

Most of her decisions in life were made _for_ her.

She'd spent the majority of her life confined. Trapped within her parents' expectations and control. Groomed to be the image of perfection.

Her garden was her only sanctum. A world so deep (yet still within the confines of her parents' reach) that she could pretend it was her _own_.

She wonders sometimes, as she dashes from the house (away from the lessons and etiquette and control) and into the gardens (legs pumping, heart hammering, lungs gasping), running until she's deep enough to _forget_. She wonders what kind of wonders might lie beyond the garden walls. What kind of world her parents are so quick to protect her from.

It's a curiosity that was once easily allayed.

A soothing word from her father about being safe from all dangers as she climbs into his lap.

A gentle nudging from her mother about not concerning herself with the world that stretches outside their walls.

_Nothing you have to worry about reaching you._

_Nothing that should be of interest or concern to you_.

But her mother has begun to preen about womanhood, and _honor_.

And her father has begun to present her to his associates and his friends and their _sons_.

And Piper Chapman's curiosity about the world outside of her garden walls grows.

And a slow burning rebellion begins to ignite beneath her skin.

She meets Alex Vause in the summer of her eighteenth year.

And the low burn becomes a roaring fire.

.

It's a slow dance.

Alex had always been _aware_ of Piper Chapman, but something about this summer in particular struck her attentions extra hard.

She was no stranger to conquest. Though her conquests were always something _wicked_; dark pleasures gained from luring in something _less_-so and turning it into something fit for her own kingdom. She fancied her attentions as an image of blood dripping slowly into a contained source of water; the deep shade slowly unfurling within the colorless mass until it's forever tainted with it's presence.

It's the image that initially flashes through her mind when she first lays eyes on Piper Chapman in what was to be her eighteenth summer.

And it's the thrill that diverts her from her intended path and onward towards the young girl on that first fateful day.

She lingers a moment, watching as the girl wanders aimlessly around the brilliant garden. She'd come to the Chapman estates for a meeting, semi-annual, and _Piper_ Chapman had been the furthest thing from her mind. Until she'd wandered outside during a recess for a smoke break and caught sight of the girl.

She hadn't seen her since she was child, and even then, it was not much more than a passing glimpse here or there. She'd heard the rumors and hushed discussions that seem to have been growing louder and louder as of late. Bill Chapman's daughter was always an object of public fascination but the general tone accompanying that fascination had begun to shift, the older she'd gotten.

Women regarded her with envy, veiled and petty. Men regarded her with lust, hooded and crude.

Alex had never been one for for locker room talk or wine cooler gossip, and so her interests in conversation tended to wane once Piper Chapman's name whispered through the discussion. She knew her as the child of Bill and Carol Chapman. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But her attentions are captured almost immediately as she steps through the doors of the Chapman manner and into the quiet sanctum of the illustrious garden.

Piper Chapman was a sight of her own. And suddenly Alex understood the fascination. Beautiful in a way that dulled the usual attractiveness of the reputably glorious flowers around her, Alex found herself enraptured as her cigarette burned away to ashes between her fingers. And a low keening want begins to burn low in her stomach.

She doesn't approach her immediately, hesitant to break the spell of serenity the scene before her weaves. It's not until the receding embers of her forgotten cigarette nip at her fingers that she finally pulls herself from her study of the image before her. She moves the dwindling bud to her lips, taking a final pull, before pinching it out and depositing it within a pocket (she knows better than to tarnish the pristine garden).

_Piper Chapman_...

It doesn't take much to enchant Piper Chapman (though it's never taken Alex much to charm _anyone_) (a gift that comes in handy when you're the ruler of the darkness). She's eager and fascinated and a little bit rebellious, and she hangs on Alex's every word and attention. And Alex finds herself enjoying the girl's engrossment. They don't talk for long, parting ways with quiet goodbyes, and lingering glances (smirking lips and arched eyebrows) (bitten lips and shining gazes).

And Alex knows Piper Chapman will be waiting for her in the gardens for the next however many days she's here for.

She doesn't disappoint.

.

Alex Vause is _alluring_.

She's mysterious and worldly and the word _temptation_ slithers through Piper's mind as Alex Vause speaks to her in a way no one else ever has.

And she finds herself awaiting the older woman's presence within the gardens eagerly as her father's meetings cease and commence each day.

.

They're a week into their trysts when things get a little more heated.

And Alex begins to realize she's more invested in whatever this is than she has been in _any_ sort of conquest for a long time.

And she ignores the way something within her twinges at the word "_conquest_".

And she convinces herself it means nothing when she stops using the world entirely.

.

They eventually take to engaging within the gardens _after_ the daily conferences. When all prying eyes have gone to bed, and Piper's rebellious glow shines a little brighter. She sidles a little closer, leans a litter further, lingers a little longer, and Alex is quietly captivated with her presence.

Piper tells her of her mother, and the heavy expectations that come with being the child of harvest.

Piper tells her of her father, and the many men he parades her before as if she's a prize to be shown.

Piper tells her of herself, and the quiet insecurities and wistful dreams she harbors when she's alone and no one's looking, safe in the confines of her own mind and garden.

They're a week an a half into their tryst when Piper Chapman places her lips upon Alex's for the first time.

And Alex suddenly muses that she's never tasted anything quite so sweet as Piper Chapman.

_She muses how easy it must be to grow addicted_.

.

They're nearly two weeks into their tryst when Piper invites Alex into the deepest sanctums of the garden.

An inner circle so thick and overflowing that for a moment Alex forgets that they're not alone in their own world.

They tumble together into the foliage, gentle flowers and soft moss cocooning them in a bed softer than any mattress, and Piper Chapman lays herself before Alex Vause in a way she's done before for no one other (a way that many have dreamed for themselves). And Alex takes her with a gentleness she's never before shown anything.

They undress one another slowly, lingering kisses and gentle touches. Noises Alex never imagined she'd hear and touches she'd never imagined she'd give as bit by bit Piper Chapman reveals the last of her innermost secrets. And Piper sighs as Alex pulls the final scrap of fabric from her heated skin.

Her legs part, falling open to reveal the last of her hidden beauty to Alex's dark gaze, and she inhales sharply before she can stop herself. She takes a moment, studying the girl splayed out before her, hands trailing gentle paths up and down her sun-kissed thighs.

"You're beautiful." She murmurs finally, softly, and leans down to drop a slow kiss against her waiting lips. Piper arches into the contact. Alex grins.

She dips her head between waiting thighs and allows herself the _real_ taste of Piper Chapman (finally putting to rest the anxious buzzing that's taken up in the back of her mind at the first touch of Piper Chapman's lips against her own). She tastes like summer. Sunlight. A light rain. She's sweeter than any nectar, richer than any wine, and more intoxicating than any substance Alex has ever taken into her mouth, and she shudders as she fails to repress a low moan.

She thinks Piper Chapman might be the most beautiful thing she's ever tasted and it's all she can do to keep herself from devouring her.

She eventually pulls herself away, returns to Piper's lips, sharing the taste with her, and Piper moans softly, spurring Alex onward. Laying herself atop the girl she slithers an arm beneath her shoulder blades, propping her up with fingers cradled gently at the back of her neck. The skin of their naked torsos brush enticingly, and the wandering fingers of her free hand slide closer and closer to the pulse of heat pooling from between tanned legs.

She touches her slowly, and Piper writhes.

Touches her firmly and Piper sighs.

Touches her deeply and Piper bleeds.

She works her steadily until she's shaking and panting, gentle as the final tremors depart from her sated body, and slowly pulls her fingers free from Piper's innermost depths.

Alex studies the slight pink upon her fingers as they emerge from the confines of Piper's intimate heat. It's a sight many would have killed to see; the blood of Piper Chapman's innocence upon their hands. And Alex feels a strange swell of admiration for being allowed the honor. A choice bestowed by _Piper herself_.

She thinks about the discussions within the boardroom and whispers within the streets about Piper Chapman's coming of age and the many suitors doing their damnedest to woo her father for the opportunity Piper had so lovingly handed her. And Alex's heart swells with a foreign emotion.

"What?" Piper murmurs softly, breaking Alex from her revere.

Her gaze jumps from the pink of her fingers to the blue of Piper's gaze (the color of the sky itself) and she smiles, lowering herself over the girl's warm and sweaty body once more, "nothing." She murmurs lowly, dropping a gentle kiss to Piper's pouting lips, "how do you feel?"

"Mmm..." Piper hums, practically glowing, "I feel... like I've finally come... _alive_." She blushes delicately as Alex chuckles, embarrassed in the most enamoring way, and Alex can't help but place another kiss upon her pursing lips.

"Well..." she murmurs, nuzzling her nose into the space behind Piper's ear and inhaling deeply (she tastes like summer and she smells like spring; flowers, and raindrops, and _promise_), "a garden is the best place to _bloom_."

Piper's smiling when she pulls her back, arms winding contentedly around Alex's naked shoulders (pulling their bodies nearer as she tilts away to see her face), and Alex is once again struck by the realization that lying among the most enchanting garden known to man, Piper Chapman is still somehow the most beautiful creation in the world.

She can feel the thump of Piper's heart resonating through her chest and into her own.

She can smell the sweat of her skin, mixing headily with the scent of their combined more _intimate_ exertions.

She can taste the lingering sweetness that had so briefly coated her lips and tongue before she'd risen to share the flavor with Piper's.

And she can feel the slow gathering wetness beginning to pool against her lower stomach as Piper's body begins to react to the nearness of her own once more.

Piper's eyes shine with the sun of a warm summer day, overflowing with admiration and gentleness and another emotion Alex chooses not to recognize just yet.

She takes her again.

And The night stretches on around them.

.

The meetings come to a close thirty eight hours later.

And Alex has spent every waking moment not spent in conference within the presence of Piper Chapman, but still it is not enough.

They're in the deep gardens once more, tangled upon one another when Alex plucks one of the narcissi and presents it to Piper silently.

"Come home with me." She murmurs softly, voice barely a whisper as Piper studies the gift.

They both know she's leaving with the dawn. Have been avoiding speaking of it (_thinking_ of it), adamantly. And suddenly Alex is struck with the simple question of _why_. _Why_ should they have to part? _Why_ should it have to end?

"_Come home with me_." She murmurs again at Piper's questioning gaze.

"Are you being serious?" Piper asks lowly, skeptically. There's an air of unsuredness in her tone and Alex lingers on it for a moment, picking it apart and examining how it seems to reflect more on _herself_ in the scenario rather than _Alex_. As if she can't quite believe Alex would truly want to have _her_.

"I've fallen in a sort of _something_ with you, Piper Chapman," she breathes, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "and I don't... want to have to say goodbye just yet."

"I... 'd get in trouble..." she murmurs as Alex's lips begin to trail across her jaw.

And Alex's voice is low and husky, "_all the more reason_."

Her lips continue their trail and she knows it's unfair, knows it's sneaky and shady and _selfish_, but she _needs_ Piper to say yes. She needs Piper to accept. She needs Piper to allow them whatever more time she can give them. She needs it not to end.

She doesn't need to ask again.

.

She steals her away with the retreating night.

And as they slip from the light of the Chapmans' kingdom into the darkness of Alex's own, no one is any the wiser.

The Chapmans' world is in chaos for several days before one of the garden maids fearfully admits she'd seen Alex Vause hanging around the gardens with increasing frequency in her final weeks of conference. They're predictably furious. It doesn't take long for Bill Chapman to come knocking.

Though Alex has to admit, it takes them longer than she'd thought it would.

She's pulled from bed at the announcement of his arrival, leaving his daughter naked and dozing as she dresses herself accordingly for such a meeting. Her movements are unhurried and languid, gaze trailing back and forth from her task at hand to the gentle rise and fall of Piper's sleeping form within her sheets, and she takes small pleasure in prolonging his wait, no doubt stroking his ire. She's never cared for the man. Less so after everything Piper's softly admitted about him.

He's standing stoically in the hallway when she finally approaches, false smiles and empty pleasantries (she's never cared for the sterile niceties of the Chapmans), and she silently decides to make this as difficult as possible.

"_Bill_." She greets with a tight smile, "to what to I owe the pleasure?"

He returns it with a practiced smile of his own, tilting his head in silent greeting, "Alex... as you may have heard, my daughter has recently gone _missing_."

"Really?" Alex remarks with feigned surprise, "I've actually not heard much of anything these last few days. My attention's been rather... preoccupied." It's a statement designed to anger. Alex Vause's sexual habits are no secret, her infamous conquests the topic of many rumors themselves. And they both know why Bill Chapman is really here.

Nodding slowly he fixes her with a firm and knowing not-quite-glare, "well, you see... I've recently received reason to believe that she's left Chapman estates with _you_."

"Is that so?" Alex asks, eyebrow arching challengingly.

He laughs good-naturedly, but there's a twinge of disdain within it that has Alex smirking, "why don't we cut the bullshit, Alex, and then cut to the chase?" He's grinning amicably, a way that makes it clear he's not really taking her or the situation seriously. _Tolerating_. A way that makes it clear she is _below_ him, "you stole my _daughter_, Alex. Surely you can understand how out of bounds you are here."

She clears her throat, levels her voice, (ignores the slight flash of anger at the word _stole_, as if Piper were nothing more than a possession to be haggled for), "actually she came willingly," and then takes the killshot, "_several times_. In fact."

His eyes widen almost comically before narrowing dangerously. Alex takes small pleasure in the the subtle throb that starts up upon his temple.

"This isn't a _joke_, Alex."

"No." She agrees, "it's not."

"How dare you." He growls, his voice low. Deadly. Any lesser being may have cowered. But Alex Vause had never been a lesser being.

"She's a grown woman, Bill. She can make her own decisions."

"Well she apparently is _now_." Distaste coats his words, disgust upon his face, "I have half a mind to tell you to _keep_ her, but I'd never hear the end of it from her mother." A pause, "and quite frankly I'm not sure I want to give you the satisfaction." He draws a breath, reigning his displeasure in before continuing, "She may be a grown woman, but her place is with _us_. She doesn't belong in this lifeless prison of darkness and rot. Even _you_ can't be so selfish as to cut her off from the thriving beauty that she loves."

She schools her features, refusing to allow the man the satisfaction of seeing the small turmoil his words have begun to wrought. But she knows she's not been completely successful, and that the elder Chapman can see the seeds of doubt he's sown.

"You _know_ she doesn't belong here, Alex. So do the right thing, and let her go. We both know it's what's best for her."

Her jaw tightens, and she drops her gaze to the side as he finally turns to leave.

"Her mother will be arriving tomorrow at noon. She doesn't like to be kept waiting." He calls over his shoulder.

.

Piper stirs as she returns, rolling slightly to fix Alex with a searching gaze.

"_Alex?_" She murmurs questioningly as Alex lingers in the doorway, watching her.

She reaches out a hand, silently beckoning the older woman closer, and Alex comes willingly.

Piper's fingers curl delicately around her wrist as she nears the bed, tugging ever so slightly until Alex has no choice but to lower herself down over top of her.

Her hips settle between Piper's parted thighs and she can feel the heat of her skin through the thin blanket and layer of clothing that separates them. She rests her weight upon her forearms, hands sliding to cradle the backs of Piper's shoulders as she tugs on the lapels of Alex's jacket until their faces are within each other's personal spaces.

"_Alex..._" She whispers, their lips just barely brushing.

Closing the distance between their lips, Alex captures her mouth in a deep and thorough kiss. It's enough to leave Piper gasping softly as they part and her sky blue gaze fixes questioningly upon Alex's own hooded gaze and suddenly she cannot find it within herself to burst their gentle bubble just yet. She can't allow Piper the answers to the questions churning behind her heavy eyelids.

She kisses her again.

Allows Piper to pull the clothes from her body, bit by bit.

She let's the bubble linger just a little bit longer before she has to let her go.

Alex allows herself to indulge in Piper Chapman one final time.

And a voice in the back of her mind whispers,

_selfish..._

.

She curses herself when the glaring rays of the new day cut across her face the following morning.

She hadn't meant to let it get this far. She hadn't meant to keep her father's visit from Piper this long.

She rolls, eyes searching for the girl as she squints against the harsh light. She can't quite fight the tender smile that creeps across her lips as she finds her, curled slightly in on herself amidst the pillows and sheets. Her face is turned towards Alex, an up-turned hand resting between them atop her pillow, fingers curled loosely into a half-fist. Alex's eyes trace the gentle contours, hidden beneath the high riding sheets. Piper's skin glows in the warm morning sun, peppered with a light dusting of freckles and Alex's fingers itch to reach out and caress her. But she keeps them still, unwilling to disturb the gentle flow of Piper's steady breaths and peaceful slumber.

She's unsure of how long she lay there, watching, only knows her reverie is eventually broken by Piper's shifting.

A quiet moan drops from her lips as she struggles slowly to wakefulness. Her eyes blink open slowly, searching for Alex, and the gentlest of grins unfolds upon her face when she finds her.

It's enough to melt Alex's heart.

She thinks she might never get tired of the image of Piper waking (all gentle limbs and sluggish movements).

But the voice in the back of her mind reminds her that this will be the last time.

And Alex puts off telling her just a little longer.

They curl together, nuzzling gently into one another's necks and chins, bodies scooting closer and closer until there is no more room left between them and Piper whines gently, pressing further lazily. Alex's hand has risen to smooth down Piper's back in a steady back-and-forth trail, and she pulls the blonde tighter against her as she wiggles. Eventually Piper settles, a soft exhalation of breath, and places a barely-there kiss in the space between Alex's collarbones.

"I wish we could stay here all day." She murmurs, and Alex tenses, knowing she can no longer put it off. Sensing the shift, Piper raises her head, fixing Alex with a questioning look. She'd been expecting some sort of grumbled reply about needing to actually get work done, but instead Alex is silent. Tense. Refusing to meet her gaze. "What?" She questions softly, "Alex... what is it?"

"Your father came to visit last night," she whispers, and Piper grows still in her arms. "Your mother's coming to pick you up at noon."

"_What_?" Piper's voice is soft, barely a whisper, and Alex swears she hears it crack in the single syllable.

"I'm sorry, Piper." Alex murmurs, still avoiding her gaze.

"_What do you mean?_" Piper whispers, eyes wide and filling with emotion. Fear. Dejection. _Heartbreak_. Alex regrets looking. "_I thought_..." her voice trails off, the words left unspoken. Alex hears them anyway.

_I thought we were going to be okay._

_I thought you told me not to worry._

_I thought you said we'd have more time._

_I thought you wanted this._

_I thought you wanted __**me**__._

"Your mother's coming for you, Piper. I have no choice." Piper's silent, her once-tight grip slowly loosening. Her eyes are wide and wet and faraway and Alex can't stand to see it anymore and pushes herself to a sitting position at the edge of the bed. "It's what's best for you." She murmurs, voice low.

Piper's own response is a shrill and sudden contrast, "what's _best for me_!? God! You really aren't that different, are you?" At this, Alex's attention snaps toward the angry blonde, "everyone apparently seems to know what's _best for me_, but _me_!" She huffs out a breathless laugh, short and disbelieving, "you know, Alex, I came with you because I thought you were _different_. I thought for once in my life someone _respected_ me... someone appreciated _me_." She's got Alex's full attention now, and the older woman notes a faint shine of tears gathering in the corners of her blue gaze. She reaches a hand forward, "I guess I was wrong," and falters.

"_Piper_..."

"Don't." She turns, drawing a hand to her face, "forget it Alex. I get it."

She's powerless to move, caught up in her own turmoil of emotion as she watches the dejected blonde pull herself from the bed and stalk out of the room.

She tells herself it's for the best.

.

They avoid one another for the better part of three hours.

Piper's mother will be arriving in two.

Following the blonde's departure, Alex had moved to the kitchen, drowning herself in coffee until she realized all it was doing was making her worse. Eventually she moves to the study, having heard the click of the bedroom door signifying Piper's chosen to hole herself up in there.

She runs her fingers through her hair.

Glances at the clock.

_One hour and forty minutes_.

Piper's words cycle endlessly through her head.

_You really aren't that different are you?_

_respected me._

_I thought you were different._

_appreciated me._

_I guess I was wrong._

She screws her eyes shut, and tugs at the roots of her hair a little harder, desperately attempting drown out the cycle of voices; Piper's. _I guess I was wrong_. Her father's. _Even__** you**__ can't be so selfish_. Her own. _Selfish. Selfish. __**Selfish**_.

She thinks of the hushed conversations from the sanctity of Piper's garden and the quiet confessions poured out within her bed. She thinks about the stories Piper had told her about growing up in a home that dictated every aspect of her life. She thinks about the way the sun kissed her skin and the flowers looked a little duller in her presence. She thinks about the way Bill Chapman had talked about his daughter, as if she were a possession to be claimed.

She thinks about the blood on her fingers and the choice Piper had made to bestow upon _her_.

_One hour and twenty four minutes_.

.

Piper's curled within her bed when Alex enters, back turned and silent.

She doesn't so much as stir at Alex's appearance.

And something within her twinges painfully.

She approaches the bed slowly, sinking to the edge of the mattress with a heavy sigh. The positions they'd been in before Piper had stormed off.

"I told your father you were a grown woman..." she says quietly, her voice low and rough. She winces. "That you were capable of making your own decisions... and you are. But, Piper... _he_ was right too. You don't belong here. You don't deserve to be _trapped_ here."

She turns, gazing over her shoulder. Piper has twisted to face her, face stony and eyes puffy. It's enough to crack Alex's already wavering voice. Piper's mouth falls open, ready to argue, and Alex raises a hand, cutting her off, "_don't_ tell me you wouldn't miss it. Piper... the sunlight is what I _saw_ in you, it's what _pulled_ me to you. It's a part of you. I can't ask you to cut yourself off from that for me."

"But you _can_ force me to cut myself off from _you_?"

She sighs, eyebrows furrowing as she turns away from the blonde once more.

"I _chose_ to come with you, Alex. I _chose_ to walk away from the beauty of the gardens, and I _chose_ to follow you into the darkness."

She falls silent, her voice tampering off with the stillness of the bedroom and Alex nearly jumps when a soft hand lands atop her shoulder.

"And not once have I regretted it." Her voice is low, words curling huskily in Alex's ear, as slowly, she presses the length of her body along the back of Alex's, "I chose this life for myself. I chose _you_... for myself. My entire life has been driven by other people's choices for me. And if you send me back there... my soul will surely rot in a way that _this_ world could never imagine."

Her lips are soft against the nape of Alex's neck and she shudders at their contrast to the sharpness of their words.

"All the beauties of the world could fall away. I don't care. I don't want them anymore. There's only _one_ beauty I'm interested in." Her voice is low, sensual and deadly in a way that leaves Alex's mind spinning as she succumbs to the whims of Piper Chapman. And she begins to think she may have misunderstood who exactly had been pursuing who in this dance.

"I don't want to be their child of light," she whispers, fingers stealing around Alex's front to dip beneath the gaps of her robe, "I want to be your queen of _darkness_."

And Alex gasps as Piper Chapman plays her mind and body like a finely tuned instrument.

And her mind fills with the echoing whisper of another rumor often tied with Piper Chapman's name as the buzzing of her pleasure grows louder and louder.

_Piper Chapman always gets what she wants_.

.

Piper had taken her thoroughly and unapologetically.

Leaving no room for argument or discourse.

And once Alex had lain l sated and defeated, they finally spoke.

Piper agrees to meet her mother. Hear what her parents have to say. And once she's heard both their parts, _she_ will make her final decision.

"_Though I'm already sure of where my intentions lie_." Alex opens her mouth once to retaliate, but quickly learns her lesson as Piper snaps it shut with a firm curl of her fingers around Alex's chin, "you allowed me the decision of who I gave my innocence to, you'll allow me the decision of who I give the rest of my life to."

They finally pull themselves from the sheets fifteen minutes before Piper's mother is due.

And Alex watches from her bed as Piper dresses herself with a languid sort of laziness.

"Piper..." she calls softly, haltingly, and the blonde turns to fix her with a gaze as blue as crystal clear day. Gritting her teeth in an attempt to fight off her doubts (_selfish, selfish, selfish_), Alex opens her eyes to fix on that bright gaze once more. The last of her resolve crumbles. "Here," she murmurs, "if you truly... wish to spend your life _here_... at my side..." the blonde's inquisitive gaze focuses and she takes a tentative step forward, "_eat these_."

Her palm opens to reveal four small red seeds that gleam faintly in the low light.

Piper eyes them wearily for a moment before reaching out. Her fingers brush against Alex's own and she squeezes her eyes shut, unable to face the blonde's decision. Unable to watch as she steals what's left of her purity.

"What are they?" She asks softly.

"Pomegranate seeds."

"And these will allow me to return?" Her voice is low, filled with a gentle sort of intrigue.

"_Yes_. It's _your_ choice. Not anyone else's."

Alex's eyes remain closed. She refuses to watch. Unsure which thought breaks her more; Piper denying her or Piper forsaking her better life in order to _remain_ with her. Something soft grazes her cheek, fingers curling behind her jaw, as Piper pulls Alex's face gently towards her own. Her mouth tastes tangy, sweet with the leftover juices of the seeds when she brings her lips to Alex's own, and the relief that swells through her is nearly enough to make her faint.

"_I choose you_."

.

Piper departs with a final kiss.

And Alex heaves a sigh she thinks she might have been holding for the last twenty four hours as she sinks slowly into her armchair.

All she has now is to wait.

.

Eighteen hours.

Alex remains seated and alert for eighteen hours, when Piper Chapman finally slips back through her doors.

She's on her feet immediately, hands reaching for the blonde before she catches them and stills herself. "Well?" she asks after a moment of silence.

"We've worked out a deal." Piper murmurs, hovering just out of reach, "The gardens... they've... _withered_ in my absence. They ache for my presence and I... have an obligation to them."

Alex's heart twists. She drops her gaze, attempting to school her features, "what's the deal?"

"Six months. Every year." Piper murmurs, "six months with you, six months with them. Enough time to keep the gardens alive." She takes a tentative step forward, attempts to catch Alex's gaze, "if it were possible, Alex, you know I'd have chosen to stay. Here. _Forever_."

"No," Alex murmurs with a nod, "this is... good. You _need_ time in their world. Sunshine. _Life_."

"But six months..." Piper trails off.

"Is going to be hard." Alex finishes.

They're silent a minute, lost in their thoughts.

"Well..." Piper soon murmurs, taking another step, "think about the reunions..." another step, "six months apart..." another step, "six months of abstinence..." they're millimeters apart now, Alex's gaze is still upon the floor, but she's powerless to stop the arch of her eyebrow, the tug of her smirk. "I mean... we are going to have some _really great sex_."

Piper's grinning hopefully when she finally meets her gaze and Alex can't help the short laugh that bubbles out of her at the sight. "C'mere," she murmurs, wrapping a hand around the nape of Piper's neck and pulling her lips to her own, "are you _sure_ this is what you want?"

"_Yes_." Piper whispers, "_this is what I want_."

.

Six months seems shorter than either of them have ever remembered it to be.

And six months passes quicker than either of them would have liked for them to.

Piper departs with an angry curse and a shine of tears lining her eyes.

And Alex sighs with a heaviness she'll come to grow familiar with.

And their countdown of the _next_ six months begins.

.

But Piper's right about the sex.

.

They're curled within Alex's bed, three months into their season, and covered in nothing but the sheets and one another's bodies when Alex comments on the changing weather and dying lands, "_how the earth weeps for you in your absence_."

"It's fitting," Piper murmurs, eyes tracking the wilted flowers and desolate fields, falling snow and frigid winds, "they deserve to know what happens to my heart every time they take me from you."

.

And the sex improves with ending of their time too.

"Last one for awhile," Piper murmurs breathlessly from atop her, "make it count."

.

Time stretches on.

And Alex notices she's acutely aware of it's passing for the first time in her life.

But the image of Piper Chapman returning to her after six months of absence becomes her favorite sight.

And maybe the passing time isn't quite as bad as she'd once thought it was.

.

"I don't wanna go back." Piper whispers petulantly, burying her face against the older woman's neck.

"You have to," She whispers bitterly, "those're the rules."

"_No_." A whine, and she wriggles a little closer. A quiet sigh falls from Alex's lips as she holds the woman a little tighter, "I hate going back there. I wanna stay here. With you. Forever. It's not _fair_."

"I know it's not fair, kid."

.

The conferences eventually roll around again, and neither of them have been happier to see a summer.

It's the first year Alex doesn't find her attention waning onto other things.

Piper sits beside her, regal and breathtaking and Alex smiles to herself as Piper's foot brushes slowly along her calves under the table.

"Good things come to those who wait," she whispers into Piper's ear as her hand begins to join her foot in it's wanderings.

"_I ain't in a patient phase_."

Her father watches silently in muted anger. And Alex smiles a little wider.

They spend the night in Piper's childhood bedroom, politely insisting the guest room provided for Alex wouldn't be necessary.

And neither of them try too hard to hide their noises of pleasure as they remind everyone in the house what months of separation does for their sex life.

.

"My father still thinks he can marry me off," Piper murmurs into the skin of Alex's neck one year upon the night of their reunion, punctuating the sentence with a bite.

Alex groans, deep in her throat "Mmm... anybody I need to have killed?"

"I'll keep you posted."

.

Piper's family ignores the sizable diamond adorning her finger the next time she returns to them.

.

Alex finds herself studying Piper quietly in the rare moments she's unaware she's being watched.

The morning is her favorite time for it.

Her eyes track lazily over the gently arching contours of Piper's stretching body.

A body that looks as if it were carved of the purest marble.

A faint moan falls from her slightly parted lips and Alex is more than aware of the effect it has on her sluggish body. Her pupils have dilated, and she can feel a heavy warmth settling low in her stomach, the pace of her heart pumping just a little faster. Her gaze lingers upon Piper's chest, taking in the stiff peaks of her nipples before her spine collapses once more and she returns fully to the mattress below her.

Another soft moan escapes her lungs as she shifts lazily, settling into the mess of blankets and pillows, and Alex reaches out a hand to trace the swell of her cheek. Blue eyes blink open, focusing on Alex slowly.

"I love you." Alex whispers, losing herself in the swirling skies of Piper's gaze.

And she smiles gently, "_I love you too_."

.

Alex takes her dancing whenever their schedules allow it.

(whenever they manage pull themselves from bed for long enough)

Piper seems to enjoy it. Lessons of her old life she never entirely hated.

They dance, Alex's fingers creeping slow across Piper's stomach.

And the autumn winds howl quietly along around them in time with their rhythm.

.

"I've heard a certain nymph has been vying for your affections lately..." Piper murmurs absently, a week into her return.

"She's tried." Alex smirks, attentions fixed on the papers before her.

"No luck?"

Her gaze slides from the papers to Piper's own, "not a chance."

They smile.

"A shame," Piper murmurs, and Alex arches an amused eyebrow, "I'd been hoping for the chance to flex my muscles a little."

Alex laughs, setting aside the papers, "well I could always go out and encourage it, if that would make you feel better?"

"Mmm... no." Piper drawls, moving to lower herself into Alex's open lap, "I'm sure there will be more opportunities."

"I don't think anyone's too keen to cross the Queen the Underworld," Alex murmurs against her grinning lips.

"Because they're all too afraid of it's ruler."

A sharp laugh breaks through Alex's lungs as she pulls the blonde a little closer, "more like because they're all afraid of her _wife_."

"And I didn't even have to flex my muscles." Piper pouts.

Their mouths meet in a tangle of giggly grins.

.

They always end up holding each other for a long time, following Piper's returns, as if making up for a thousand empty nights.

"_I've missed you,_" Piper murmurs, pressing herself into the gentle embrace.

"_I missed you too._" Her palm skates gently over Alex's cheek as they pull apart enough to catch each other's eye, and Alex murmurs, "it's supposed to be a long cold, winter this year, kid."

"That's alright," Piper answers, voice just as soft, "_I've been saving all my summers for you_."

* * *

><p>a shorter one.<p>

there's not really much to build on after the initial myth and get together, so the real story kind of petered out after that and all I was left with were little snapshots of various stages of their six month cycles. I feel like it probably could have been more, but... this was all I could come up with. so sorry that's not really anything grand.

I took a very lax approach to some of the stricter myth aspects because I didn't really want the world building to be the focus. whether you choose to imagine it in a completely modern world or a much older more mythical one, or a completely unrelated timeless sort of new world wherein both those aspects _blur_, I didn't want unnecessary technical aspects of it all to become any sort of hang up. though I worry that in doing this I left things a little _too_ lax.

what I really wanted to play with were the ideas of summer and sky and fertility from the original myth in relation Taylor Schilling's sunshine radiance, Piper's eyes, and the idea of innocence and virginity and coming of age and adulthood for young girls through old cliches and symbolism. I wanted to sort of subvert some of them, taking the power behind a lot of these themes and giving it all to Piper. similarly, I also wanted to tie a lot of Alex's charm and mystery and darkness to the themes of death and decay of fall/winter despite the fact that Hades isn't the god of _death_ itself. so excuse my heavy attention to all that rather than more of the rest of the plot.

I feel like a lot of this feels out of character, but I'm still struggling to understand where exactly I stand with them post season three. if it's a disconnect stemmed by how out of it CANON characterization felt. or if it's a disconnect stemmed from how far I feel from them in light of season three, considering every time I try to go back and rewatch one or two it feels tainted. or maybe it's just the entrenching of a different era of timeline and wondering if I've managed to keep them true to themselves despite this. whatever the case may be I hope those who have pushed me to write this feel like their expectations have been met. or... at least have not been not TOO short-changed.

influential music and lifted lyrics from _Froot_ by **Marina & The Diamonds**.


	26. Chapter 26

inspired by captainscarletts' orange AUs on tumblr  
>musical inspiration includes (of course) <em>Glory and Gore<em> and _Yellow Flicker Beat_ and the slightest bit_ A World Alone  
><em>all of which are by Lorde

* * *

><p>It was a warm summer evening the first time she came in contact with her.<p>

Alex Vause sat alone on a bar stool nursing a half empty bottle and freshly bruising black eye (Nicky had caught wind of her mixing medications and then _she'd_ caught the knuckle end of Nicky's right fist).

A pleasant stillness lingered in the quiet bar, brought on by that short blissful lull between the departure of the late diners and the arrival of the early regulars. The doors were propped open, allowing the static hum of the early evening air to drift in and out of the slowly filling room like a gentle tide, and on it, Piper Chapman.

Alex had been restless. She'd come to the bar with the intent to drown herself in alcohol until she either drank herself to death or forgot who she was. Her knuckles rasped softly against the wood of the counter, not-yet-healed wounds threatening to split open once more (maybe if she knocks hard enough those delicate red welts will open up and spill what's left of Alex Vause onto the floor).

Alex had been restless. It was a new development after what was starting to feel like a _lifetime_ of resounding numbness (maybe it was a good change, maybe she should be happy she was finally feeling _something _again). She'd stormed angrily out of the gym after Nicky's fist connected with her face. There had been screaming. Anger. Several pairs of arms dragging them apart. Someone had called her name out. Alex had kept walking (maybe it was just part of the next stage of her gradual spiritual decay).

Alex had been restless. She'd told the bartender to keep them coming when she sat down because rarely did she do anything halfway (maybe that explained the bruise slowly coloring her cheek, maybe it confirmed that the "accidental" almost-overdose wasn't so _accidental_ after all), and maybe it was the three already empty bottles of alcohol dulling her edges that made her suddenly yearn for the attention of the blonde who'd wandered in.

It started innocently enough, light teasing, soft jabs, playful goading. "I don't think you know me." she'd said after Alex made a remark about 'good girls' like her and 'places like this', "Oh, I know you." she'd smirked.

Piper Chapman. 22. Up and coming princess of the professional boxing world. "Not a fan." she'd murmured at the blonde's soft surprise and quiet teasing. Not a fan. Just someone who happens to keep up with the news in the professional fighting world.

"Who _are_ you?" Piper had murmured dazedly. There was a pleasant hum in the air and she was halfway to tipsy. Alex was _whole way_ to buzzed.

"My name is Alex."

"And what do_ you_ do, Alex? Besides harass innocent women in bars."

"I fight in underground boxing matches... and I don't think you're all that innocent."

Piper had smiled slowly at that, a soft glow alighting her eyes with what Alex's hazy mind could only define as _enchantment_.

"Alex... Alex Vause?" she'd asked in a voice full of the soft wonder that only a warm helping of alcohol could instill. "I know you. You were supposed to have a promising career before you suddenly dropped off the face of the planet. You were good."

"I still am."

The blonde studied the blue-purple haze that bloomed from the underside of Alex's left eyebrow to the top of her cheekbone. "Are you sure?" she'd murmured innocently. A challenge. "It looks like you might have lost your touch."

"Oh no, this?" Alex had exclaimed with a healthy dose of false cheer, gesturing to the bruise decorating her face. "No. _This_ was a gift from a friend."

Piper had taken a sip of her drink as she studied the older woman's face. "Some friend."

"Yeah." Alex had murmured.

She'd meant to leave it at that. An innocent night of pleasant company in an otherwise dreary week (or was it month? year? she'd stopped counting after awhile), or she'd at least meant to take her home for a roll between the sheets, a visceral evening of comfort in an otherwise dreary lifetime (because what was the point when she'd stopped counting).

She had done neither of those things.

"Why don't you come see a _real_ fight?" she'd murmured as the blonde stood to leave, sliding a napkin across the bar with a hastily scrawled address on it. A soft challenge (she'd later blame the alcohol and the last of her fading anger at Nicky for this sudden desperation to keep the blonde's attention).

She hadn't responded to Alex's quiet proposal as she pulled on her jacket and settled her tab. simply studied her in silence. That enchantingly soft smile and curious sapphire gaze shining at the older woman before she turned to leave.

.

Alex had been surprised to see her when she showed up a week later. Hesitant to immediately approach, she'd hung back and watched the blonde take it all in for a moment.

"What're _you_ doin' here?" she murmured into her ear as she came around to stand before her.

"I heard this was the place to be if you're looking for a good fight."

That had been when Alex discovered that there didn't need to be alcohol involved for those blue eyes to shine with enchantment.

She'd won her fight that night. Locked eyes with that sapphire gaze in the crowd as she raised her arm to acknowledge the cheers of the masses. She'd hung back afterwards, taking her time in the locker room as the gym emptied out (a small luxury one was entitled to when the maternal figurehead of one's coach owned the gym). She had her own set of keys and the freedom to take her time before locking the place up for the night.

Piper was waiting for her when she came out.

"Not bad," she'd muttered when Alex asked her what she thought, "could've been better." She'd shrugged. Alex's eyes had narrowed. "I imagine it's a much better show when you're against someone who actually knows what they're doing."

That's how it began.

She told Alex it was alright after she laid her out for the third time that night, "anyone would be sluggish after a match and a half." An innocent enough phrase, though Alex could read the unvoiced goading between the words, could see the quiet challenge in the blue eyes gazing back at her from across the ring.

That's how it became a thing.

.

It became routine. Piper showing up every few nights to spar when Alex just so happened to be training (when Alex just so happened to be _alone_). They never held back with each other (_which is probably what makes it so intoxicating_ Alex's mind whispered as her muscles burned), it wasn't a controlled mediated sparring like Piper was used to. It wasn't a friendly brief grappling like Alex was accustomed to.

"It makes sense," Piper had remarked off handedly during one of their sessions, "we both need to practice, practice with _real_ partners," (_someone who can take as good as they give_ her mind filled in as her knuckles cracked) "what better way than with a willing participant who doesn't mind getting the shit beat out of them?"

They'd share the locker room in silence afterwards. It was an unspoken agreement of a mutual silent existence and they pretended not to notice any stolen glances, lingering gazes, or quick wandering eyes.

The silence went with them when they'd walk each other home in the stillness of the night.

.

It didn't take Nicky long to pick up on it.

"I been seein' that Chapman kid 'round here a lot lately." She'd casually remarked one night between barks of _watch your form_ and _mind the footwork_ as Alex circled the ring. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would yah?"

She'd merely grunted in response, but it was all the answer Nicky needed.

"She seems like a good kid." She mused a moment later. Alex acknowledged both the soft approval and quiet warning in the other woman's words (she chose to focus on the former).

Piper was seated with Nicky and Lorna next time Alex spotted her at a match.

.

Piper had been awestruck when she eventually discovered Alex's Nicky was in fact THE Nicky Nichols. Alex listened quietly, Lorna gently tending to the sores on her knuckles, as Nicky regaled Piper with various stories about her "glory days".

"You were kind of a huge inspiration." Piper had laughed somewhat timidly, in that quiet self conscious way one only can when faced with the object of one's admiration "I was heartbroken when you quit."

"Yeah, well..." Nicky shrugged half heartedly. It never got to Alex like it did Nicky. Alex was just happy to be in the ring. The location, the situation, the _details_ didn't matter. As long as her blood was flowing and her muscles were burning it was enough. Nicky had loved the professional world of it all. The fame, the glory, the money.

The drugs.

The drugs were what eventually did her in and when she fell from grace Alex followed. Nicky had lost her professional career when she mixed one too many recreational drugs with one too many prescription drugs. Alex had given hers up when Nicky needed her most. It had been Red who had taken them in, pulled Nicky back on her feet, gave them a new gym to fight in and a new ring to run.

Four relapses, three visits to the hospital, and one intensive surgery (and harsh scolding from Red about _listening to her fucking doctors_) later and it was too much strain on Nicky's body to fight anymore. Her career as a fighter was over. So Alex agreed to share _hers_. It wasn't the same as being in the ring herself, but Nicky was content with coaching Alex on.

"You were somewhat of an inspiration too, you know." Piper murmured quietly that night as they made their way home from the gym, "I mean, you weren't as big a name as Nicky, but I followed you for awhile."

.

They were several weeks into their routine when Piper disappeared for three weeks.

She'd strolled back into the gym like nothing was amiss.

Alex played along.

It wasn't until they were in the ring that Piper noticed something was wrong. Alex had been quiet all night, detached. Now her movements were quick, erratic. _Harsh_. After catching a particularly nasty cheap shot in just the right place Piper angrily threw her gloves down. "Can you calm the fuck down? What the fuck is wrong with you tonight?"

"'The fuck is wrong with _me_? Nothing. _Piper_. Why would anything be wrong?"

"I don't know that's why I'm asking!" Her own temper rising to match the brunette's. Alex huffed angrily before pulling her own gloves off, saying nothing as she turned to duck out of the ring. "ALEX."

"WHAT, Piper!?" She'd whirled around angrily to face the blonde, now standing at the corner of the ring Alex had just vacated.

"Are you kidding me?" Piper's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You don't get to just walk away without fucking telling me what the fucking problem is! I obviously did something to piss you off so please fucking tell me about it like a mature person and let's try to fucking resolve it like a couple of _adults_."

Alex was back in the ring before Piper had even registered her moving, her forearm instinctively bracing over her face as Alex's fist collided against it. Their bodies were moving on instinct before either of them could rightly process what had begun. Discarded gloves were kicked around in the scuffle as their bare fists connected against one another's skin with the hard slapping thuds of flesh on flesh.

"_I_ don't get to just walk away?" Alex's voice rasped with a new octave of exertion. "What about _you_, Piper? You fucking disappear for a month without any warning and then just waltz back in here like everything's fucking fine? Where the fuck have you been?"

"_That's_ what this is about? Jesus, Al! I went to visit family out of state! All you had to do was ask, not mope around like a fucking child before _attacking_ me!" The remaining air that she'd had in her lungs left her body with a whoosh as her back connected with the floor of the ring. Hard. They hadn't exactly been adhering to the basic rules of the ring to begin with (not since the gloves came off, both literally _and_ metaphorically) but to say Piper had expected Alex to tackle her like a goddamn linebacker would be pushing it.

Her attention on struggling to regain her breath rather than struggling with Alex made it embarrassingly easy for the older woman to pin her arms in an iron grip above her head. Their gazes locked, the gym now silent save for the panting gasps of their lungs trying to replace the air they'd lost in the scuffle.

"What is this to you, Piper?" She'd asked softly. So softly. Too softly. Piper couldn't remember ever hearing Alex's voice this soft before, this broken. She didn't like it.

Before she knew what she was doing her lips were on Alex's.

They fucked like they fought. Rough. Angry. _Harsh_.

Alex's knuckles were bloody as she tore Piper's shirt over her head. Piper's split lip coated Alex's collar bones in red as she dragged her teeth across them. There were no gentle touches. Alex's teeth bit down on a light bruise that had begun to bloom across Piper's chest, helping it along in it's growing discoloration. Piper's nails carved fresh trails into Alex's back as she arched into the angry assault on her body. Their blood left faded trails across each other's skin in the erratic movements of their haste. Fingerprints. Lip prints. Signatures of possession.

"I won't do it again." Piper had murmured later, much later, as they lay exhausted and spent on the floor of the ring, drained both mentally and physically. "I won't leave you like that again."

They'd shared a shower head that night. Quietly holding one another in the haze of the soft steam of the locker room as they washed the blood and anger from their bodies.

.

Polly had raised her eyebrows in quiet shock when Piper finally wandered into the kitchen the following morning. A silent conversation exchanged through fleeting glances (_later_, Piper's eyes had promised) as she filled a mug with freshly brewed coffee before retreating back to the quiet of her room.

They'd walked home in silence after the shower, paused outside Piper's door only long enough to pull her keys out and unlock it before pulling the older woman in silently behind her. They brought each other to completion several more times in Piper's bed with soft touches and whispered words, falling slowly to sleep as the early touches of morning began to creep across the sky.

Piper had always been an early riser. She can't have gotten more than four hours of sleep before pulling herself wearily from the bed in search of caffeine. She'd woken up to Alex's arm curled possessively across her stomach and had taken several moments to watch the gentle rise and fall of the older woman's back, eyes idly tracking the collection of scratches and bruises painted across it as she took a mental inventory of her own sores (both pleasant and not-so-pleasant).

Alex had rolled onto her side while she was gone and she paused in the doorway to briefly study the face that was now fully presented to her for the first time since last night. She looked younger. Relaxed. Rarely (if ever) did Piper glimpse Alex looking anything less than strained by the weight of the world. There was a broken sort of innocence to her.

Her arm had snaked around Piper's waist once more as she slipped back into the bed with her coffee, a soft smile gracing the blonde's lips when she'd gently buried her face into Piper's side.

It was nearing early evening when they'd finally departed from the quiet of the bedroom.

Polly had raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry when they'd moved through the sitting room to the front door. A quiet conversation exchanged through tender touches as they lingered in the cool night air of the doorway before Alex disappeared into the falling darkness of the night.

.

Their touches are soft when they take each other in the bedroom, gentle when they explore each other in the shower, _delicate_ when they love each other outside of the ring. The ring remains their haven. The rest of the world falling away as they lose themselves in their dance.

It was in the ring where Alex's eyes shone with something other than that dulled weariness they seemed so accustomed to carrying everywhere else. It was in the ring where Piper's gaze lit with something more than the stern echo of of a heavy burdened disappointment. It was in the ring where they _truly_ came alive.

Thy fought without gloves more often than not anymore.

There was something about the burning contact of skin on skin. A sick pleasure in the stinging contrast to the gentle touches of their bedroom play. The exhilaration of swapping a _different_ sort of bodily fluids when old wounds would split open to smear a layer of blood across the body before them.

Piper never asked Alex to her matches. Alex never requested to see them. Alex's world did not exist in Piper's. It was a stain that's presence seeped no further into Piper's life than the front door of her apartment and peripheral vision of her best friend. A quiet secret locked tightly out of Piper's pristine princess image.

They didn't mention it. They told themselves they were content.

Alex never talked about her family. Piper never asked about it. Piper's mother would ask her if she was seeing anyone. Piper would tell her there was very little room for much else in her life at the moment with her attention and free time being so heavily invested in her career. Her mother would take the proffered opportunity to segue into their habitual discussion about her daughter's choice in _hobby_ as Piper's fingers trace gentle patterns across Alex's skin, humming the occasional response to the scolding voice drifting from the phone resting against her ear.

They had a tentative agreement. They told themselves it was easier this way.

.

It was an early autumn night when Piper discovered the unmarked bottle of pills.

"What is this?" she'd asked. She'd been somewhat familiar with Alex's collection of prescriptions. Pain killers, caffeine tablets, sleeping aids, etc. A plethora of bottles clearly marked with names and dosages.

"Nothing." the brunette had murmured, pulling the rattling container from the younger woman's fingers, slipping it into a different pocket of her gym bag.

They didn't discuss it again.

.

Piper's coach asked her if she'd been adhering to the proper care procedures as her examined her bruised and healing knuckles one night. She'd mumbled something about losing track of herself in the ring. A fleeting mistake. An apology. _It won't happen again_.

He hadn't pushed it.

Polly's looks had become more pointed every time she slipped in with fresh bruises, every time Alex slipped out with her own. "I'm just saying. You're losing focus." She'd chirped one Alexless night. Piper had sat silently through her friend's ongoing musings, "You spend so much time in HER world, but what are you getting out of it?", "I don't want to see you get hurt, Pipes, I mean, she _is_ kind of an asshole.", "I mean is this like a serious thing or are you two just fucking around until something better comes along?", "I'm just looking out for you.", "Whatever this is it will inevitably explode and I do _not_ have the time to pick up the pieces of another Piper Chapman meltdown anymore."

Piper hadn't responded.

Her mother had exclaimed in shocked annoyance at Piper's appearance the weekend they'd shown up for an unannounced visit. The bruises, cuts, and general state of wear and tear providing her with yet another excuse to begin the tirade on her daughter's insistence at throwing her life away over hobbies that have lived on well past their expiration date.

Piper had simply nodded.

"You gotta let her go, Vause." Nicky had mumbled one night to a slowly clearing bar and a collection of empy bottles. They'd packed away the gloves, the tape, the ring, thrown back a shot, a glass, a bottle. Alex's hands had silently clenched and unclenched around the bottle in front of her, "She's got a shot at this. A _real_ shot.", "You can't take that from her.", "You can't drag this kid down with you. You can't drag her into the mess WE made for ourselves.", "You can't let her become a broken old piece of _nothing_, like us.", "You gotta let her go."

Alex finished her drink.

.

It was late October when the verbal fights began.

It started with little things. Piper's increasing tardiness, Alex's growing state of agitation, Piper's hairline temper, Alex's inability to provide sufficient time together outside the ring. They'd snip irritably back and forth at one another before a limit was breached, a temper cracked, a ring or room or conversation exited. They didn't stay angry long. A quiet apology, a soft touch, begrudging forgiveness or a rough reconciliation in the form of carnal exchange, and all would be forgiven.

It didn't take long to grow worse. They were already accustomed to fighting without gloves in the ring, it was only natural for the gloves to come off in their verbal matches as well.

It happened one night after Piper stormed out of the ring in a quiet fit of rage. She'd been halfway to the locker rooms when Alex had called out. "Yeah, Piper, great! Run away from all your problems! Run right back into your perfect little world where everything is safe and stable and where you don't have to face the ugly reality of your dirty little secret!"

"Is that what you think this is to me!?" She'd whirled back around to face the brunette still standing angrily in the center of the ring, her journey to the locker room forgotten. "A fucking secret love affair? I have _tried_, Alex! I have _tried_ to allow you into my life, but you refuse to meet me halfway!"

She'd scoffed mockingly from her position above the blonde, but said nothing more. At this instance Piper would typically spin back around, continue her journey to the locker room. Alex would linger in the gym, throw a few misdirected punches at one of the bags hanging around the room before stripping herself of her sweaty tank top and following the blonde's path into the locker room. They'd meet in the shower and the apology would begin. Piper had had different plans tonight.

"What are the pills for, Alex?" She'd demanded softly, green irises snapping to meet blue as Alex's attention refocused on the blonde before her. They'd stared silently at one another. A quiet standoff. Both refusing to be the one to give in, give up, admit _defeat_.

A sigh. Piper. Their gazes broke as she turned to continue her journey to the locker rooms. Alex didn't follow. Piper didn't wait. They went home alone.

.

It was a week and a half before Piper showed up again.

Alex had lost her match. She was sitting despondently on one of the benches as the gym emptied out around her. Her head had been down as she wrapped and unwrapped the tape around her knuckles. She felt her presence before she saw her.

She slipped quietly onto the bench beside her, sitting so they were facing opposite directions of the gym. Alex's hands stilled only for a moment before resuming their senseless pattern. _wrap. unwrap. on. off_. Piper's hands lay hidden in the pockets of the grey hoodie currently zipped up to her chin. They waited as the last few bodies emptied from the gym around them. Then they waited some more.

"Antidepressants." Alex eventually murmured. Piper's head turned towards her slightly. Blue irises studying her from the corner of her eyes, listening, but not pushing. "They're antidepressants. I've been taking them since my mom died."

She flexed her untaped knuckles, tossing the now discarded wrap to the floor. She was all too aware of the blonde's full attention on her now. "It used to be enough." She paused, gaze sweeping the length of the gym before her. "Getting into the ring. Putting on the gloves. The flow of adrenaline. Losing myself to it all." Her gaze fell back to her hands, thumbs pressing gently into the fresh sores adorning her knuckles. "It used to be all I needed to feel... _alive_. And then all of the sudden, it wasn't."

A shuddering breath made it's way past her lips as she raised her gaze once more before turning to meet the eyes of the woman beside her. Emerald met sapphire as their gazes locked. Piper studied her silently, deeply. She was waiting for the rejection. Waiting for the blonde to realize she wasn't the infallible champion she presented herself as, to understand that she was broken, damaged scrap. Her dark eyebrows knitted together briefly and Alex's eyes fell closed, preparing herself for the inevitable.

They blinked back open in shock as Piper's lips met her own. A quick soft kiss, a hard steel gaze exchanged, before returning her lips to the brunette's in front of her once more. Her hands found their way to the hair at the base of Alex's skull, just before the swell of her neck, fingers tangling tightly in her hair as she pulled the brunette harder against her mouth. Alex's own hands moved to cup the jaw before her, one sliding along the younger woman's face to bury itself in the blonde locks at the back of her head as the other fell to the swell of her hip, pulling her closer.

Piper's back connected with the bench as Alex pressed into her. Her hand twisted into the front of Alex's t-shirt, refusing to separate their lips, as she pulled the older woman down with her. Their kiss broke sloppily as Alex moved to straddled the bench, pulling the blonde against her once more, her legs locking tightly around her waist. Their hips ground forcefully into one another as their mouths met again. Alex's grip tightened on Piper's hip as her other hand trailed up her body to bury itself back in the hair at the base of her neck. Piper's fingers dug into the heated skin of Alex's bicep, as her other hand curled against her jaw, pulling her closer.

They broke apart for air, panting softly, foreheads resting gently against one another. Alex's fingers ran softly through Piper's hair before trailing lightly down across her jaw. Their gazes met as they studied each other in the silence of their lost breath. "I love you." She murmured.

Piper's eyes had widen slightly at the quiet admission. That soft gaze of enchantment Alex had come to love lingering at the edges of her expression before blooming into a full smile. "I love you too." She murmured softly. "_I love you too_."

Their lips met once more in the stillness of the gym.

.

"I used to love playing pretend when I was younger." Alex murmured to the darkness of the bedroom that night, fingers absently tracing patterns along the younger woman's back. Piper had been on the cusp of sleep, somewhere along that hazy line between dreams and reality as the brunette's whispered words tumbled over her.

"I'd pretend I was born into different lives... different worlds... different places." Piper flirted with the edge of unconsciousness as Alex's soft voice and softer touches continued on. "I'd always wanted to travel the world, be someone else, do something... _important_." A soft laugh, a gentle finger trailing the length of Piper's spine, "_Dreams_, y'know."

Silence lapsed slowly into the room after that, and Alex found herself in her own battle against the tug of sleep when Piper's quiet voice drifted up from the darkness, "I never liked pretend. I always preferred keep away."

And Alex had wondered if either of them were really awake anymore or if they were just having some sort of dream conversation at this point.

.

It was enough. For awhile. To pretend everything was good. They took tentative steps around each other at first, afraid to reopen old wounds never laid to rest. They both knew the shallow grave they buried their problems in wouldn't hold forever. But Piper preferred running from her problems, and Alex preferred pretending hers weren't real until they inevitably blew up in her face.

They didn't talk about the way Piper was becoming increasingly more agitated. The weight of her family's silent expectations weighing down on her heavier and heavier as the days marched on. The stress of the matches, and her reputation, and the unspoken significance of the slowly growing title that now came attached with the name _Piper Chapman_.

(_She's got a shot at this. A real shot._) Alex ignored Nicky's lingering words in her mind.

They didn't talk about the way Alex's pill collection grew from two more to three more to four more as the weeks crawled by. The heavy set to her shoulders growing more and more defined. The lifeless lilt at the corner of her eyes seeping further and further across her once bright gaze.

(_Whatever this, is it will inevitably explode_.) Piper tuned out Polly's nagging warning at the back of her thoughts.

They pretended not to notice. They pretended they were fine. And they pretended everything was alright between them.

.

It was late December when Piper finally lost her mind.

They'd had a fight the night it happened. A screaming match that had ended with Alex storming into the locker rooms to prepare for the night's fights. She hadn't seen the blonde since. They'd been arguing on and off for the past several days, a gradual buildup of hoarded tension finally coming to a head earlier that evening before the gym began to fill with the night's crowd.

Things between them had been strained. Alex was distant. Piper was destructive. In hindsight, Alex wondered if, had she not been so wrapped up in her own issues, she might have taken more notice to the hairline fractures slowly turning into significant cracks across the blonde's psyche. Maybe she would have seen it coming.

She'd been sitting in the locker rooms once more, wearily pulling the evidence of the night's fight from her aching body, when she heard.

.

The sirens are what she notices first. Police. An ambulance. A wailing mixture of chaos and commotion. The next thing she notices is the blood. There was so much blood._ Too much_. Her immediate thought was '_Someone's killed her. She's dead. Someone's killed Piper_.' A screeching record stuck on repeat in her mind. The third thing Alex notices is Piper.

She's being led away by two police officers. There's a heavy wrapping of gauze around her right hand. Her face is blank.

Her feet were propelling herself towards the blonde before she knew what was happening. Everything else came in disjointed flashes.

Pushing through the throng of onlookers.

A hand connecting with her chest.

_You need to step back. _

_I know her, she's my-_

_You need to step back, ma'am._

A hand encircling her arm.

_Vause..._

She didn't hear any other words that may have been exchanged. Her gaze locked on the despondent blonde as the world around her fell away. Piper's eyes had met hers for a split second and what she'd seen had terrified her. The blue eyes that were usually so full of enchantment had been empty. Hollow. Lifeless.

The hand around her bicep was dragging her backwards.

Distant voices telling the crowd to disperse.

Piper's head being pushed into a patrol car.

The gym doors closing.

Silence.

She'd had a full blown meltdown according to Nicky. Attacked nearly everything in her sight. She was sitting in the middle of the floor when things started making sense again. Papers, tape, fabric, debris, the floor around her had been a mess, Nicky's voice rising from the far wall where she stood, resting in the shadows, watching. "You done?"

Alex only sniffed in response. Her knuckles were bloody.

.

Piper was released two days later.

Alex doesn't see her around again for two months.

.

It's late February, she's wrapping her knuckles on one of the benches in the silence of the gym, her head lowered, when she felt her familiar presence.

She lowers herself to the bench beside her and they sit in silence as Alex works. Alex's hands flexed softly against the snug wrappings of their bindings. Piper's hands sit buried in the pockets of her familiar grey hoodie. Their shoulders brush slightly. They've been here before.

"They kicked me out of the league." She finally speaks, voice uncharacteristically hoarse (Alex vaguely wonders if it's from disuse or just the opposite). Her hands hesitate for only a moment before resuming their task, "There's always a place for you here." she murmurs tiredly after several seconds.

Piper shakes her head slowly, eyes trailing across the gym stretched out before them, a faraway look clouding her gaze. "I can't fight anymore." Her voice is soft. Tired.

"Their decision holds no sway here, Piper." Her own voice is low. Spent.

"No... I mean... I _can't_ fight anymore." She turns towards her as she speaks, sapphire meeting emerald. There were no heavy revelations this time. A sigh slips from Alex's lungs as her hands fall limp between her knees. Her chin ducks to her chest in a slight nod. Quiet understanding.

"_Yeah_." She murmurs. They sit in silence.

.

They slip out the back doors of the gym that night. The faint glow of the early morning sun touching the edges of the horizon as they walk the quiet streets of the fading night.

Conversation starts softly, for the first time in their usual silent journeys home. They're somewhere between halfway to Piper's and halfway to the gym when Alex finally begins what they've both been trying so hard to avoid.

"I'm sorry." Her voice soft at first, but not hesitant. "I'm sorry. For everything. For all of it. I'm sorry we didn't handle this better. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me to be. I'm sorry that I'm incapable of not fucking_ every good thing that happens to me_ up."

Somewhere along the line her feet had stopped moving. Piper's feet had stopped moving. Somewhere along the line they'd grown still, now facing each other in the silence of the street. "I'm sorry for fucking _you_ up." Somewhere along the line she'd started to cry.

Piper's gaze isn't forgiving as she stares back into Alex's watery one. But her words are when she finally speaks. "You're not the reason I'm fucked up, Alex. You're not the reason _any of this_ is. We made a mess of this _together_. So don't you dare try to shoulder all that weight on your own." The smallest of smiles tugs at her lips and Alex finds herself releasing a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

As she takes a step closer to the silently breaking brunette, her hands raise to softly (but _firmly_) cup the older woman's jaw. "I meant it, you know. When I told you I loved you. That hasn't changed. That will _never_ change."

"Look at us." Alex huffs with a watery chuckle, "We're a fucking mess, kid."

"Yeah. We are." Piper's eyes dance softly back and force between Alex's, and it's a soft, barely noticeable thing when it happens, but Alex catches it. As Alex pulls Piper's face to hers in a soft kiss, Piper's eyes fall closed, shutting gently over a faint shine of enchantment.

.

Polly's not yet up when they slip through the door and down the hall to Piper's room. The faint beginnings of a soft grey haze coating the walls as they lay quietly in Piper's bed, facing each other. Alex is only slightly taken aback when the faintest of laughs slips through the blonde's lips. She waits patiently, eyebrows furrowing slightly, for her to share.

"My mother was thrilled when I told her I was done with fighting."

A tired smile worked it's way across the older woman's lips. "I'm sure you just about gave the woman a heart attack."

Another light chuckle escaped the blonde as that soft sense of enchantment Alex found herself so enamored with stole across her gaze. "Yeah." Her fingers creeped up to toy gently with the curve of Alex's chin. "Daddy wasn't so thrilled though."

The lingering touches of what was left of Alex's small smile fell away as she regarded the girl before her in the quiet stillness of the slowly growing morning. Piper licked her lips softly, a small sigh slipping from her lungs as she focused her attention on the hand currently caressing the face in front of her.

"He was the reason I fought, y'know. In a way. I mean..." She faltered, a faraway look glazing over her eyes, still focused on the hand at Alex's chin. "don't get me wrong, I did it for me too. I loved it. Parts of it. For my own reasons. But when I started showing promise of a real... _talent_ for it... when I started winning my matches... generating buzz... becoming _known_... it was the only time he ever really seemed... _proud_ of me... y'know." She chewed her lip thoughtfully, lost in the distant world of her thoughts. "It was always about the glory. Nothing more."

"I tried to kill myself." Alex's voice is soft when she speaks, her jarring admission pulling Piper from her quiet reverie. "Before I met you." Piper's fingers stilled under her chin as her blue eyes darted quietly across Alex's somber face. Alex's own gaze fell to rest on Piper's collar bones, peaking faintly out of white v-neck she wore loosely.

"That's why Nicky gave me that black eye. I told her it was an accident... but it wasn't. I... the ring wasn't enough anymore and I was just... lost in this fucking... swirling blackness... and the pills were just there and I thought..." Her voice trailed off to a faint bitter chuckle as she paused to gather her thoughts. "I guess I fucked that up too though, huh."

Her eyes rose to meet Piper's again. The pity she'd been so afraid to see in the blonde's eyes was absent when their gazes locked, a soft sort of sadness in it's place. "I'm glad you did." Piper murmured softly.

Her thumb had begun to softly stroke at Alex's chin once again and they studied each other in quiet resolve before Alex's lips met her own. They leaned into each other as Alex's hand came up to cup the side of her face, thumb stroking her cheek gently. A heavy sort of silence fell over them as they embraced, though for the first time it wasn't an unpleasant one. It carried a weight of promise. Understanding. Hope.

"Please don't try to kill yourself again." Piper murmured softly when they broke apart.

.

It was a warm summer evening when they sat on the stairs of the porch to Piper's small house.

Piper perched a step above Alex, lazily draped between her legs. One of her hands absently tracing patterns across the blonde's calves and thighs, the other loosely clutching a cigarette. Piper's arms were soft around her, a hand running slowly through the hair at her temple, fingers gently massaging her scalp. Her other hand tracing lovingly across Alex's collarbone before rising to cup the wrist holding the cigarette. Bringing it to her own mouth, her thumbs absently traced the lines of Alex's knuckles as Alex's gaze traced the scars adorning hers.

The smoke curled quietly around them as it left Piper's lungs, along with a soft musing. "Glory and gore." She'd murmured absently, Alex's eyebrows furrowing in silent question. "It's what we are." She took another pull of the cigarette, gaze still focused on Alex's knuckles, fingers still tracing absently. "I fought for the title. For my father's approval. For the glory. You fought to bleed. To _feel_ something. You fought for the gore."

Alex flicked the dying remains of the cigarette to the ground before engulfing Piper's fidgeting hand in her own. Her fingers ran over the fading scars of Piper's knuckles as they slid between the gaps to tangle gently with the blonde's. "Glory and gore go hand in hand." She'd murmured softly against her lips.

They didn't exchange anymore words as the shadows of the world slowly stretched before them in the dying light of the early evening sun.

* * *

><p>mostly with this story I wanted to explore certain aspects of their personalities (Alex's brush with depression, Piper's temper, the revolving implications of Alex's childishness and refusal to live responsibly vs Piper's fear of the unknown future, Alex's absence in Piper's outward world and Piper's ease at casually telling her family one thing while currently engaged in the complete opposite) and certain aspects of the canon story in a different setting and universe. There's still a bunch of discarded notes and ideas I wanted to explore in the original draft, but trying to fit it all in made the story way too disjointed and choppy. There was a discarded story line involving rumors about Piper and another up and coming male boxer, a discarded story line involving Alex and another OD, there were just a million ideas that ultimately didn't make it into the final cut, but I managed to get across most of what I wanted to include and explore and I hope that, for the most part, it made an enjoyable story for you to read.<p>

**ADDITIONAL A/N**

so I decided to move this story to New Romantics. originally I'd started this account for this idea alone but somewhere along the line more & more stories began forming in my mind & had I known it was going to become the beast it has, I never would have split this idea from Romantics. SO. that being said, I've decided to delete the original version & move it to it's own chapter _within_ Romantics. I never wanted to be one of those authors who gives an a/n update or ANY sort of false update for something that's anything other than a new chapter, so I waited until I had another chapter for NR finished up & could publish them together. that way I can get this chapter in here AND give you something new. so, sorry that chapter 26 is just a republished _something-old_, but hopefully a simultaneous chapter 27 of something _new_ will make the false excitement of TWO updates less disappointing.


	27. Chapter 27

because I kinda had the sudden urge to revisit this universe post-season three...  
>a continuation of chapter 16 <strong>[M... ish RATING]<strong>

* * *

><p>It's a very easy thing; falling in love with Piper Chapman. Falling in love with Alex Vause.<p>

It's an easier thing taking their relationship from one definition to another.

They'd fallen for each other hard and fast, but grew with a slow burn.

.

She sees a future with Piper.

It's a thought that Alex thinks should terrify her. And she's a little confused when she finds it doesn't. She'd never been one to think about the future. But she catches herself thinking of it in increasing frequency anytime she's around the blonde. Permanent fixtures she erects in her life, things she's never done for anyone else, pieces of herself she's never had the urge to give; it all tumbled freely with Piper. She'd promised herself early on that she'd never be the kind of woman who got tattoos for other people. She'd shake her head and scoff when her friends told her they were thinking about adopting pets together. She'd never envisioned herself inviting another person to share her living space, _however_ much she might like them. And she'd balked at the idea of marriage and children and being tied down when there was a world _full_ of unexplored potential.

She'd been a lot of things before Piper Chapman.

And she's surprised to find she doesn't so much mind the change.

.

Eventually Alex gets a new tattoo.

She calls it a birthday gift to Piper.

Another girl. Another _flower_.

"Y'know for someone who once vowed to never settle for something as boring as _'a flower'_, you sure are racking up an impressive personal collection," Piper breathes against her lips, fingers dancing idly against the roses blooming across her bicep as the faintest of touches brushes along the newer garden of her thigh.

"I've been having a bit of an easier time noticing that_ intricate beauty_ lately," Alex murmurs back.

And Piper pulls away from her lips with a growing grin, slowly sinking to her knees as she drops a gentle trail of kisses down her body. She spends the rest of the night mapping out Alex's various tattoos with her tongue, and showing her just much she appreciates her new _birthday gift_.

Alex shows up two months later with another "gift".

Piper's in her own shop, back facing the door when the bell jingles and Alex sidles silently up behind her. Leaning easily into the casual embrace as Alex's arms snake around her waist, Piper tilts her head towards the older woman's smirking mouth to receive a quick closed-lipped kiss.

"Did you finish all your highly secretive errands?" She murmurs.

"Mmmhm," Alex hums, dropping another quick kiss to her shoulder.

"Are you gonna tell me what they were?"

"Mmmmm..." Alex hums again, pressing the side of her face against Piper's, "I got you something."

"Mm! Is it another tattoo?" Piper teases gently.

"_Better_."

Setting aside her tools, Piper brushes off her hands, finally turning within Alex's embrace to properly face the older woman. "What is it?" She asks softly, sliding her own arms around Alex's waist. Grinning giddily, Alex slowly opens her mouth, allowing her tongue to slither leisurely out from between her lips. Piper gasps as a singular shiny stud glistens at her from the center of the brunette's tongue, "you pierced your tongue!?" She exclaims.

Alex pulls back, laughing, and Piper's hand flies up from her waist to grip her jaw, holding her still as she rolls out her tongue once more. "Did it hurt?" she murmurs, and Alex chuckles at the familiar question.

"Eh." She shrugs.

"Okay..." Piper murmurs, gaze still locked on Alex's mouth, as if entranced, "the tattoo I understand. Flowers. Intricate beauty. It's a sweet gesture that _means_ something to us. But how in the world is _this_ for me?"

And Alex pulls away, bobbing her eyebrows playfully before murmuring, "I'll show you in a few weeks."

And three weeks later when Alex rolls that cool stud against her nipples Piper arches with a gasp. And when Alex works that hard little ball against her clit Piper shudders with a guttural moan. And when Alex laughs quietly, asking her if it was a worthwhile present, Piper starts to think that maybe there _is_ something to all these piercings after all.

.

They keep their relationship to themselves for the most part.

They're private people by nature, and take solace in the easy quietness of their contained existence. A handful of Alex's friends know. And Piper's younger brother and best friend know. But for the most part they choose simply not to mention it. Not that there's any attempt to keep it a secret. They just don't see the point in advertising a private thing.

Alex learns early on the nature of Piper's relationship with her parents, and she never pushes her to for any information or asks to be included in that area of her life. She knows what kind of blessing her relationship with her own mother had been. And she learns what she needs to through the monthly hushed and strenuous phone calls, when Piper finally finishes up and snuggles a little closer, clutches a littler tighter, burrows a little deeper. She's clingy by nature (something that Alex had never before found quite so adorable), but it always seems to triple after she's spent a night in the company of her parents.

"Hey," Alex murmurs, gently patting the singular bare leg poking out from under the covers, one particularly lazy morning. Or, mid-afternoon, if she's being totally truthful, "c'mon, up n'at'em."

There'd been a semi-annual Chapman family checkup call the night before. In which Piper's parents had announced they'd be in the city for the weekend, and expected their daughter's presence for a formal dinner the following evening. _Tonight_. She'd rolled her eyes, bemoaned her luck, and told Alex to _make sure she went_ (_"or I'll never hear the end of it"_) before tumbling into the bed after one another for the next however many hours of the night until sleep claimed them.

"Mm-mm." The mass of blankets shifts slightly as the leg disappears beneath it's confines. Alex can't help biting back a soft chuckle.

"Yah. C'mon, babe. Time to get up."

Piper's voice is petulant, muffled from the pile of comforters and pillows, "_no_."

Suppressing another chuckle, Alex disappears from the room, leaving the blonde to snooze for a little bit longer.

Piper's vaguely aware of her movements, moving from room to room, occasionally passing through the bedroom. She makes an effort to crack an eye open anytime the brunette gets close, watching her lazily as Alex busies herself with this and that.

"C'mon, Pipes," she murmurs gently, lowing herself to sit at the edge of the bed. "You parents are expecting you in a couple hours. You gotta start getting ready."

Piper's eyebrows furrow and she contemplates another childish _"no"_ before gentle fingers begin swimming slowly through the hair at her temple. Letting out a quiet sigh at Alex's soft ministrations she burrows deeper into the blankets, nuzzling against Alex's hip. "I don't wannaaaa..." she whines quietly.

"You gottaaaa..." Alex coos, smiling as a blue eye blinks open once more and fixes her with a look that sends her insides melting. And _fuck, if we ever had kids those eyes would be my downfall_ she thinks. Her hand pauses just briefly, as she contemplates the nature of that fleeting thought. Piper pouts.

"Why'd you stop?"

"Because you need to get up."

"I can't go," a cough, "I'm sick."

"You're not sick!" Alex laughs, leaning over her to pull down the comforter, "come on. You need to take a shower. Start getting ready."

"Take a shower _with_ me." Grabby hands appear from the confines of the makeshift cocoon and Alex laughs again as she dodges their clutch.

"Oh no. We need to get you _moving_. And we both know that is never going to happen if I step into that shower with you."

"I'll behave." Lazy fingers are still searching fruitlessly and Alex can't quite fight the pull of those eyes anymore as she allows Piper's gentle grip to curl into her shirt.

"Yeah right." She teases, following the pull of insistent hands and leaning in for a soft kiss. It's enough to appease the blonde for a moment, humming contentedly as Alex pulls away. "Shower." She whispers, a soft command that she feels send a slight shiver down Piper's spine.

"Maybe if I go smelly my parents will leave sooner."

"My god, you are worse than a child!"

"You are." Piper mumbles.

"Ooh and just about as clever as one too." Alex teases before leaning in for another kiss, "come on. It's just dinner. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner we can laugh about all the horrible, out of touch things they've said."

This thought finally seems to have an effect on the petulant blonde, and she slowly begins to wriggle herself free from her cocoon of warmth. Pausing to fix Alex with one more pitiful look that has her chuckling and pressing another kiss to her pouting lips. She makes it to the doorway of the bathroom at a lazy shuffle before stilling once again and throwing the older woman an indiscernible look over her shoulder.

"Are you _sure_ you don't wanna take a shower with me?"

Shaking her head and sucking in a slow lung-full of air, Alex mouths, "_GO_" and releases a quiet sigh as she hears the water kick on.

Piper reemerges some twenty minutes later, clad in nothing but a towel and makes a slow show of getting dressed, occasionally throwing Alex veiled looks from various stages of preparation. When she's finally dressed she checks the time and sighs, moving back towards the bed and the reclining brunette.

"I hate that I told you to make me go to this." She grumbles, sinking the brunt of her weight to her knee, propped against the bedspread, as the older woman sits up to meet her, hands sliding to cradle the small of her back as they settle against each other.

"It's gonna be fine. Just a few hours of dull conversation and you're free." Alex whispers, pressing a kiss to the underside of her jaw, "and afterwards..." another kiss against the arch of her neck, "you can come right..." her collarbone, "back..." the center of her chest, "here." She completes her sentence with a kiss against Piper's lightly pouting lips.

"Mmm..." Piper whines, "It's probably going to be late. I don't want you to have to wait up for me."

"I won't have to." Alex whispers, and Piper fixes her with a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

She waits in patient silence a moment as Alex shifts, pulling something from her pocket and holding it up between them. She says nothing, simply waits for Piper to acknowledge the item before her and what it means.

"A... key?" Piper murmurs, reaching out a tentative hand. Her hand stills just before reaching it, hovering hesitantly over Alex's own.

"Mmhmm... to my apartment. For you. To come and go anytime you please."

She eyes the brunette before in a dazed sort of wonder, fingers lowering to curl gently around the cool metal, "really?"

A soft short breath of laughter escapes Alex's lips as her previously serious expression melts into something tender and warm. "Yeah," she murmurs, "really."

Piper's eyes alight with a shining sort of emotion Alex can't even begin to explain as her attention flicks between the key in her hand and Alex's own shining eyes. She's overwhelmed, Alex can tell, and she tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as the girl comes to terms with the wave of emotions she's swirling in.

"_Alex..._" she murmurs, locking their gazes and exhaling with something between a laugh and a gasp.

And before Alex can formulate a response soft lips are upon her, and she's grinning wildly into a sloppy kiss.

"_Thank you,_" Piper murmurs, lips brushing with every syllable as she refuses to pull away from the woman before her, "_thank you_."

She's not so reluctant to leave after that, giddy at the thought of her new gift.

"I'm going now," she grins to Alex a little while later as they pause in the threshold of her apartment door, "but I'll back be." Holding up the key and failing to hide a beaming smile and overflowing excitement, "Don't wait up, I'll let myself in."

And Alex has to bite her lip to contain her own gleaming grin as she watches the blonde disappear down the hall.

She'd thought she'd be too scared, giving the girl full uninhabited access to her space, was almost sure she'd _regret_ it. But nothing in Alex Vause's life had ever felt quite so right as seeing Piper Chapman's radiant smile, and knowing that she herself had been the cause of it.

.

There's a stray cat that takes to hanging around outside their shops (which _Alex_ takes to _feeding_).

She tells Piper it's an old habit picked up from Greta, who used to casually care for any wayward animal looking for a place to stay the night or a meal to fill their belly. The blonde's skeptical at first, having been raised in a manner that suggestion street animals are _dirty_ and ridden with disease. But slowly the part of her childhood spent aching for a pet wins out and soon they're _both_ caring for the charming tabby.

It's Piper who eventually gives the animal a name (Alex having been more than content to just call it _Cat_). And before either of them really realize it they suddenly seem to have adopted a wayward sort of pet.

"Hey Bandit," Piper coos to the purring tabby winding it's way around her legs as they open up for the morning.

Alex scoffs at the sight, shaking her head, as the three of them file into Piper's shop, "unbelievable. I basically had to convince you you weren't gonna catch some sort of wild disease from interacting with a street cat and now somehow _you're_ the favorite." She turns, leveling the cat with a betrayed look and outraged finger, "all those months of _me_ feeding you and convincing Piper not to throw you out and this is the thanks I get!?"

"Awww..." Piper pouts, pouring out a small amount of cat food in the base of an unused pot, "is someone feeling jealous?"

"More like scorned." Alex grumbles as she watches the cat hop up onto the counter and begin eating. "_Betrayed_..."

"Unappreciated?" The blonde has come around the counter now, and eases her arms around Alex's waist as she moves to lean into her.

"A little." The brunette lets on, raising a solitary eyebrow.

"Anything I can do to fix that?"

Struggling to keep up her irritated facade, Alex turns her face away, studying the other end of the room. She has to bite back a small grin when she feels Piper's gentle lips descend on the slope of her neck, imparting a trail barely-there kisses.

"Poor Alex," she coos, voice low, "feeling under appreciated and sad. Whatever can we do to show her our appreciation?"

A squeeze on her rear brings the grin Alex had been so valiantly fighting to her face and Piper matches it with a beaming smile of her own.

"Don't start anything you won't be willing to finish," She murmurs, leaning so that their lips brushed just barely with every word.

"Who says I won't be able to finish?" Piper drawls, pressing forward in an attempt to capture lips as the older woman pulls her head back.

"Um, we have had sex in my place of business thirteen times now and every time I try to even the score you come up with some inane excuse as to why we can't."

"You've got couches," Piper mumbles, directing her attention to the pulse of Alex's neck, "all I've got is dirt and empty pots."

"Oh please," Alex scoffs, tilting her head to allow better access, "we were doing perfectly fine with the counter over there three weeks ago before you cut me off right as it was getting exciting. Just because I don't _have_ balls doesn't mean blue balls isn't a _thing_."

"You're being dramatic." Her teeth scrape the sensitive skin of Alex's neck, tongue darting out for the barest of tastes, "I can't help that Bandit walked in."

"He's a cat!"

"It's weird!" Piper exclaims, pulling away from the small bruise she'd begun to paint across Alex's creamy skin, "animals pick up on that sort of thing!"

"Oh my god," Alex mutters, "you are ridiculous. Until you get over this weird fear of fucking in front of the cat, there will be no seduction within the walls of your domain, yah little tease." Extracting herself with a wave of her hand and soft grin, she begins heading towards the doorway.

"Alex" Piper calls whiningly after her, "It's like having sex in front of our child!"

But the only response she gets is Alex's deep echoing laugh as she disappears through the door.

(Though she does manage to make that thirteen a _fourteen_ several hours later.)

.

"Hey," Piper breezes into the shop one morning, hands full of mail for both her store and Alex's, "Polly's got an emergency meeting across town so she's bringing Finn by later, but I've got a huge order I need to fill by five so do you think you could keep him entertained for an hour or so until I finish up?"

"_Hey_," Alex purrs, pulling the rambling blonde to a gentle halt and leaning in for a quick kiss. She'd met the boy on a handful of occasions and, much to Piper's utter delight, had hit it off immediately, "that's fine. My last appointment's at three, I'll swing by when I'm finished."

"Thank you," Piper smiles, returning her attention to sorting through the collective mail, "I shouldn't be more than an hour, it's just they need it by five and the delivery guy can't make it with the last pieces until three, so..."

"I keep telling you to hire some help," Alex scolds lightly, trailing absently after the blonde.

Piper leans briefly into her as Alex's hands crawl across her hips, her nose dropping to trail lightly across her shoulder, "and _I_ keep telling _you_, I like having the place to myself. I can't fathom having to tell a bunch of kids how to cut this and where to trim that. It just sounds like too much of a headache. I'm perfectly fine working alone. I get things done."

"I know you do, babe," Alex murmurs, dragging her lips up the blonde's neck in a deliberately slow trail of kisses, "but a little help would let you relax more. You work yourself to the bone sometimes. I just want you to make sure you're not overexerting yourself."

"Well thank you," Piper murmurs, turning to face the brunette at her back and dropping a slow kiss to her lips, "I appreciate the concern. But really. I'm fine." Another kiss, "I'll see you around four?"

"Mmmm..." Alex hums, a lazy smile stretching across her face as she watches the blonde retreat towards her own shop once more.

Her meeting wraps up around 3:45 and she ducks out the door and into Piper's shop the second she's free. Finn's sitting patiently atop a stool, asking Piper question after question about the arrangement she's currently preening. Alex smiles softly as she listens to Piper patiently answering each one of the boy's inquiries.

"What're you too good to say hello to me now?" Alex calls, grinning as the boy's head whips towards the door and the sound of her voice.

"Alex!" He calls eagerly, scrambling off the stool and propelling himself towards her.

"Hey there, kiddo!" Alex laughs, "you wanna head over to my shop while aunt Piper finishes playing with her boring flowers?"

"Yes!" He exclaims, excitedly grabbing Alex's hand and tugging her towards the door. She barely has time to toss a quick goodbye over her shoulder as the boy pulls her out the door and out of Piper's sight.

The shop is quiet when Piper lets herself in through the locked door an hour later, and she takes her jacket off slowly, listening for any signs of life in the still parlor. Muffled giggles drift down the hall and she smiles to herself, depositing her jacket on Alex's desk and moving further into the shop. They're sitting together on the floor in one of the back rooms when she finds them, heads drawn close, ignoring whatever cartoon it was that prattled softly on on the TV before them.

She lingers in the doorway for a moment, watching them silently. She'd been somewhat hesitant, the first time they'd met. Nervous about how Alex might react to the the presence of a child hanging around them for the day (in hindsight she realizes the ridiculousness). The first meeting had been an accident. Still rather early in their relationship, as they were both still tentatively feeling out what exactly they were doing here, in this new physical aspect of it all. It had been a Sunday, a day off for both of them spent free from their places of business, when Alex showed up at her apartment unexpectedly.

"Alex!" Piper exclaimed in quiet shock upon opening her door, "wwww... what are you doing here?"

"Aha..." Alex chuckled haltingly, "I... was in the area, and thought I'd swing by? If this is a bad time..." An uncharacteristic nervousness seeped across Alex's form and Piper suddenly realized what the older woman must be thinking.

"No! I mean. It... I'm just..." a sigh, "my friend Polly recently moved to the city, and... I'm watching her son for the day."

Alex's eyebrows had jumped in quiet surprise as the tension left her body, "oh. Um. Well... I can... go?"

"No," Piper reached out, hesitates, "I mean... you can stay... if you want... I just... didn't really think children were... your thing."

Alex husked out a low chuckle at Piper's stumbling words, "Well I don't spend a lot of time around them. But... it doesn't mean I have anything _against_ them."

And, of course, Finn had taken to Alex instantaneously.

By the time Polly showed up to collect him, Piper thought she might have to pry the two apart. Polite introductions were made, thankfully aided by Finn's unending testament about how amazing Alex was. And Polly begrudgingly whispered a soft "_okay, I can see the appeal_." just outside Piper's door as she and Finn waved their final goodbyes.

Closing the door gently behind her, Piper bit back a giddy grin as she leaned against the cool wood, studying Alex quietly for a moment, a gentle touch of fondness in her eyes. "Hey..." she eventually murmured, losing the fight with her budding grin as Alex murmured another soft _hey_ back. Pushing off the door, she slowly began making her away across the floor towards the waiting brunette, "so..."

"_So_." Alex whispered in return, making her own lazily calculated trail towards the blonde in the center of the hall.

"Are you gonna sleep over?" Piper asked quietly against her lips, when they meet, arms winding slowly around Alex's waist.

"Do you want me to?" Both of them biting back grins now.

"_Yes_."

It wasn't until much later in the night, as they lay quiet and spent, tangled around each other and the sheets of Piper's bed, that Alex murmured, "I had fun today."

And Piper couldn't fight the smiles that bloomed wildly across her face as she leaned in, capturing Alex's lips with her own and showing her just how much the soft declaration meant to her.

She doesn't know how long she stands there, leaning against the doorway, watching them color. She's lost in her thoughts until Alex turns and fixes her with a gently imploring smile.

"What're you doin'?" She asks softly, catching Finn's attention, as his little head whips around to fix it's gaze on Piper.

"Nothing," she murmurs, shaking her head slowly, and moving into the room to join them.

They don't say much else as she settles down beside Alex, who curls an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into her side. She listens as Finn prattles on and on about whatever it is they'd been discussing, breathing deeply against Alex's shoulder and filling her lungs with the sweet scent that was uniquely _her_. And _I could get to used to this_ Piper thinks before she can quite catch herself. It's a thought that gives her pause, a soft sort of apprehension pouring over her. But it only lasts a moment before Alex's husky laugh vibrates through their connected bodies and her warm eyes turn to meet Piper's.

And suddenly it's a thought she thinks they both might be okay with.

"I like him." Alex murmurs later that night, settling between Piper's legs. Her hands slowly push Piper's t-shirt up her ribs and she drops a slow lingering kiss just under her naval before whispering, "we should have our own someday."

Piper's head tilts, eyes dropping to regard the brunette at her overly casual admittance.

"Are you serious?" She asks, hesitantly, fingers threading through Alex's hair as she begins to work on ridding Piper of her pants.

"I'm always serious." Another kiss. This one between her thighs. "I think we'd be good at it," Piper's jeans hit the dresser somewhere behind her, "or... _you'd_ be good at it. I might suck." Hands returning to Piper's hips, her fingers slide beneath the material of her panties as she slowly begins to draw them down the blonde's long, firm legs, "you're good with him. He's good with you. I wouldn't mind... one of our own... one we wouldn't have to part with at the end of the night... one who's... _us_. Me and you. Together."

Her arms snake around Piper's thighs, pulling her down the bed until she's settled and waiting under the brunette's gentle gaze, "not now I mean. Obviously there's still a lot we'd have to settle before bringing a kid into this mess."

Alex's eyes sparkle as they meet Piper's blue, and she can't help trailing her fingers through those dark tresses once more, hand skating gently down to cup the older woman's cheek.

"Someday though," Alex murmurs, turning to kiss Piper's palm, "I think I'd like to with you."

They stay like that for a bit, locked in the moment and one another's gazes. A silent conversation. A million unspoken words. Piper's thumb brushes just so across Alex's lips before the older woman grins, return her attention to the treasure before her.

"Besides," she murmurs casually before leaning to drag her tongue through Piper's folds in a single long, smooth stroke, "you'd make _such_ a hot mom."

Whatever protests Piper prepared die in her throat as Alex buries the rest of her laughter between her legs, pulling away briefly only to say "total MILF."

She barely feels the halfhearted slap Piper lands on her shoulder, already too lost in the sensation of Alex's mouth to do much more.

"You'd make a good mom too," Piper murmurs against the cusp of sleep some hours later, when they're both naked and sated.

Alex falls asleep with a smile on her face.

.

"So what'll happen if you ever take any of them out?" Piper asks one night as they're nestled atop one of Alex's couches. They'd ordered dinner in, as Alex finished up some work before closing up, Piper settling in idly, half-watching some indie movie playing on the pay-per-view channels, before their attention had diverted to lazy fooling around. They lay intertwined in various states of undress; Piper's jeans unbuttoned and hanging open having been thoroughly ransacked by Alex's wandering hands, and Alex topless and warm beneath her.

Piper's fingers trail absently over her nipples, pausing to dance around the hard nubs of the piercings. She's never quite lost her initial fascination with them.

"They'll close back up." Alex murmurs, fingers trailing gently through Piper's golden locks as she flirts with sleep.

"Hmmm..." Piper hums, falling silent, and Alex sleeps a little closer to that delirious edge.

She's somewhere in the hazy reality of half-sleep when Piper's wandering fingers retract, and she sighs for a moment at the loss of the gentle ministrations. Abruptly though, the absence of Piper's fingers is replaced with the warmth of her mouth, causing Alex in inhale sharply and arch her back. Humming low and deep in her throat, she settles into Piper's new ministrations. The fingers that had fallen lax within her blonde tresses tightening gently.

She loses herself in the sensation of Piper's soft suckling, caught up in the confusing haze of sleep and reality, losing all sense of time as the night stretches quietly on around them and the forgotten movie flickers patterns of dancing colors across the dark walls around them.

Eventually pulling back with a contended sigh, Piper murmurs, "I hope you never decide to do that."

Leaning forward, she places a final kiss upon each of Alex's straining nipples, "I'd miss them too much."

.

She eventually convinces Piper to allow her to fill in the outlines of her tattoo.

Appearing at the entrance of the flower shop with a quiet knock she pauses, hanging through the half-open door, "C'mere," she murmurs softly, "I wanna show you something."

Dusk is setting in, and she knows the blonde had been preparing to close up and head on over to her own domain, but she can't bring herself to wait any longer. She'd been practicing for months now, patiently going over the motions again and again until she got them just right. Just perfect.

Casting her a confused gaze, Piper brushes the last of the dirt from her hands and makes her way to the door, "everything alright?"

"Yeah," Alex whispers, smiling softly, _self-consciously_, "I just... I wanna show you something."

They walk the short distance between the shops in relative silence, and Alex holds the door open invitingly as Piper eyes her in poorly contained interest. She leads her to the back room, where a stretch of pigskin lays splayed across a table and Piper furrows her eyebrows in confusion. It's unlike Alex to practice on such an expensive canvas, and Piper knows this.

"I wanted to make sure I got right." Alex explains cautiously, as they approach the makeshift canvas.

She waits nervously as Piper's eyes take in the scene before her, gasping softly as she realizes the familiar design. "Alex..." she breathes, stepping a little closer as if to trail her fingers over it, hesitating in the last moment. "It's..."

Before her lies a perfect replica of her own tattoo, the one Alex had convinced her to get, the flowers her grandma had taught her to grow, the one she still catches herself looking at anytime she's naked or alone. Except, there was color to this one, a brilliant splash of twisting hues.

"Watercolor." Alex murmurs, "I've been practicing for months. I thought it'd be... nice. For coloring. I mean." She's nervous, rambling slightly under Piper's silence, a rare occurrence that comes out anytime she's put a lot of time into something. Anytime she's put effort in something for _Piper_. "I know we'd talked about adding some color before, and that it was all mostly a joke, you obviously don't have to or anything, but I thought... it deserved a coloring worthy of it's canvas... _beautiful_."

"_Beautiful_." Piper whispers back, gaze lingering on the image for a moment longer before she tears herself away, turning back to face the brunette, "Alex... _I love it_."

"You do?" Alex asks softly, her brow furrowing hopefully.

"_Yes_." Piper murmurs, crossing the room to take the older woman's face within her hands, "_it's beautiful_."

A soft breathless laugh escapes Alex's lips before Piper captures them with her own.

It takes her nearly fifteen minutes to convince Piper to wait until tomorrow. Insisting that she wants to take her time with the several hour long process and that she's already made sure to clear her schedule for the following day anyway. The blonde eventually relents, though buzzes with excited energy for the rest of the night.

"Lookit you, kid." Alex murmurs as they settle into her bed a couple hours later, "not even a year ago and I could barely talk you into getting a tattoo at _all_. Now you're chompin' at the bit for a new one."

"It's not a new one," Piper murmurs, burrowing into the blankets and Alex's warmth, "it's... a revisitation."

"Oh?" Alex hums with a soft chuckle.

"Yeah... reacquainting with an old friend," her voice is slow and thick with sleep as she fights off a yawn, "it was this tattoo that finally brought us together, y'know?"

"Yeah..." Alex murmurs, "I know."

"So... the outline was just the foundation... and the color is all the good stuff that comes after."

She considers teasing the tired blonde for a moment, poking gently at her wax-poetic ways as she slowly drifts to sleep. But something about those words catch inside Alex's chest, and she lingers in them for a moment, turning them over in head. Piper's asleep by the time she lowers her lips to her temple, exhaling a soft kiss, and quiet "_yeah_."

She thinks she knows exactly what Piper means.

.

They're a little over a year into their relationship when an old friend comes to visit.

The bell above the door rings as she steps into the small shop, idly taking note of the small changes and comforting consistencies. She can hear voices coming from the back and patiently waits for the brunette to appear. It doesn't take long for Alex to swing into the hallway, laughing warmly at something over her shoulder, and Greta watches her distracted approach quietly. A contented sort of happiness seems to radiate from her and Greta finds herself wondering just what's gotten into the girl to make her so uncharacteristically exuberant.

"Well. Aren't you a sorry sight for sore eyes."

Alex's head snaps up at the familiar tone, eyes alighting with a new sort of elation, "Greta!"

Her speed picks up and Greta finds herself chuckling warmly as the younger woman pulls her into a quick embrace before she can stop herself, "good tah see ya, Vause."

"What are you doing here?" Alex asks giddily.

"Family's in town for a bit, thought I'd come up with 'em. Visit some old faces n' familiar places."

A quiet chuckle slips from the brunette's lips as they stand with their hands still resting atop one another's shoulders, "god, it's so good to see you. You haven't aged a day," she winks, and the older woman finally pulls away.

"Ah, that familiar Vause charm I've missed so much."

"How long're you in town for?"

"Just a few days, thought I'd swing by and see how the old shop's doin'. Damn girl don't even have her open though."

Something sheepish passes over Alex's face, and before Greta can comment on it another voice drifts down the small hallway.

"I hope you have no sentimental attachments to this shirt, because it is unequivocally _mine_ now."

Popping an eyebrow in silent question, Greta's initial curiosities are confirmed as the sheepish grin returns to Alex's face with a vengeance.

A blonde haired woman appears from the lip of the hallway, attention focused on the long sleeves of the large flannel she was currently tucking her fingers into, "seriously Al, this is like the most comfortable thing I've ever worn..." her gaze rises to meet the two women, words slowly tampering out as she pauses. "Oh... um... hi," she fumbles and Greta's eyes flick to take in Alex's soft admiration as she watches the blonde.

"Pipes..." Alex smiles, amusement dancing in her eyes, "this is Greta."

"Ah, so you're the young thing that bought up my shop," the woman gruffs, smirking softly, "how ya doin', Blondie?"

"Greta! Wow! It's so good- um, _great_ to meet you! Face to... face... I mean. Um... yeah, fine, I'm good. I, uh... mm..." the two older women watch her amusedly as Piper stumbles awkwardly before Alex lets out a soft laugh and pulls her into her side.

"Didn't take _you_ very long, did it?" Greta chuckles as Alex drops a quick kiss to the blonde's temple.

"Look at her! She's just too damn cute, Gret," Alex grins, "I mean, can you blame me?"

A warm chuckle rumbles from the older woman's lungs as she studies the couple before her, "ay, I supposed I can't."

They chat idly for awhile before Piper excuses herself, telling Alex she'll call her later and Greta that it'd been a pleasure to meet her again, and the two older women decide to grab a six pack from the store down the street before moving their reunion to the roof of Alex's shop. A old routine that they find themselves following on instinct.

It doesn't take long for conversation to steer back towards the blonde.

"Would you believe me if I said she's kind of my best friend?" Alex murmurs, thumb flicking idly at the slowly peeling label of her bottle.

An uncharacteristic hesitance coats her words and Greta studies the girl for a moment before murmuring, "I would."

A slow, contained smile stretches thoughtfully across Alex's lips at the older woman's soft words, and she lets out the faintest hum of a chuckle, "it didn't even start out with any sort of underlying intentions, yknow? I just kept seeing her around and... I _liked_ her. And then she started coming around... and then _I_ started coming around. And I think I sort of fell in love with before I knew..." Alex's fingers still atop the soggy label, words dying on her lips. She pauses for a moment, sifting through her thoughts, then whispers, "_before I knew what was happening_."

Greta says nothing, eyes lingering upon the thoughtful brunette before turning towards the city before them and taking a long pull from her drink. "Have you told _her_?" She eventually murmurs, once she's sensed Alex's rolling thoughts have settled.

"_Yeah_," she breathes with a quiet grin.

They fall silent once more, slowly draining their beers as night descends upon the city.

Alex drops Greta off at her family's hotel, waits until the older woman has made it through the doors, and heads to Piper's.

The blonde's door is unlocked, something that normally irks Alex, but tonight squeezes gently at something within her heart. And Piper's curled in bed and fast asleep when she strips herself of her outer layers are crawls up behind her. Her arms weave deliberately around the blonde's waist, pulling until her back is flush against Alex's chest, and Alex begins to drop a barrage of kisses against her exposed neck. Letting out a quiet hum, Piper shifts contentedly in her arms, slowly pulling herself from the grips of sleep.

"Did you have a nice time?" She murmurs, fingers threading with Alex's own against her stomach.

"Yeah." Alex breathes, burying her face against the slope of Piper's neck and drawing a deep breath, "move in with me."

"What?" Piper asks dazedly, turning to watch the brunette from over her shoulder.

"_Move in with me_," Alex repeats, locking eyes with her and holding her gaze.

"I... are you sure?" Piper shifts, attempting to face the older woman more fully, but Alex's arms lock, holding her in place.

And she lets out a delirious and quiet laugh against Piper's shoulder blade, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Pipes. _Move in with me_."

"Okay."

"Yeah?" She laughs softly again, almost disbelievingly.

"_Yes_."

.

She sees a future with Piper.

And it's a thought that Alex thinks _should_ terrify her.

Except.

It doesn't.

Not at all.

Not even a little bit.

She'd been a lot of things before Piper Chapman.

But she'd never been in love.

And Alex Vause finds she doesn't so much mind the change.

Because before Piper Chapman life was like an unfinished tattoo, and now it's a garden of screaming color.

* * *

><p>so I hate the phrase "well it's AU so out of character behavior doesn't matter" and honestly it makes me sad to see so many people fall back on that particular line of thought. I think when you're choosing to write characters who aren't your own, characters who are already established, you have a certain obligation to uphold them for who they are. and I think as a writer, if you're accepting remarks saying they didn't feel like the characters you were attempting to portray "but who cares cause it's AU" you're choosing not to grow. you're not interested in bettering yourself. and that's just something that makes me sad.<p>

these are just things I've been thinking a lot about lately. as someone who writes almost entirely AU. it just feels very sad to see people abuse the medium of AU as a way to excuse _anything goes_. it kind of makes me start asking what the point of putting any effort into AU is then.

anyway the original Tattoo Shop/Florist chapter was the second highest reviewed chapter (first if you don't count sequel chapters), so it felt like a story that deserved a little more. also, like I said, it felt good to dive back into one of my happier universes following season three (this chapter has technically been in the works for a long time, I know). it kinda feels like all I can write anymore are photographic-snippet, moment-driven pieces. I'm _trying_ to dive back into to actual more fleshed-out stories but I can't seem to make myself lock them in & it's kind of frustrating. I feel like I'm losing my touch. Hence the super long delay between each chapter & the slow decline of quality. but I hope y'all enjoyed this followup & that it lived up to it's predecessor in _some_ way :)


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